


Hermit

by Lionheart261



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2019-07-15 01:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 147,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16052423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lionheart261/pseuds/Lionheart261
Summary: After the death of Goku and the defeat of his brother, Raditz, Earth's mightiest warriors must prepare for the oncoming threat of Nappa and Vegeta. In the original work, Krillin, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, Yajirobe, and Chiaotzu train with Kami on the Lookout before they face off against the Saiyans, but what if another warrior joined them? Specifically, an old hermit, who had long ago retired from the world of martial arts to make way for the next generation of fighters? This fic will explore what could have happened had Master Roshi been allowed to train with the other warriors on the Lookout in preparation for the Saiyans' arrival, and what this could mean for the course of the series from then on.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic on this platform, so I'm probably going to mess up a few formatting details. I'd appreciate it if viewers could point out any issues so that I may correct them as soon as possible. Same goes for issues with continuity.
> 
> As for the story itself, we're going to be operating under a series of educated assumptions based on the original canon. The main assumption is that Master Roshi's power level at base is 139, and the power level he displays against Tenshinhan, 180, is 50% of the full capacity he is capable of increasing his power to. His max power transformation, which renders his mobility nonexistent, will therefore be seen as an 100% increase, and will increase his power by another 41, leaving him with a maximum power level of 221 before training. Still not sure if I'll be using power levels all that much here, but for now, I'll leave those numbers here for reference. 
> 
> We're also assuming that everything else about their training is followed to the letter of the manga save Roshi's inclusion and what that could mean in terms of techniques, meaning no Hyperbolic Time Chamber, no prototype gravity generator at Bulma's place, no time travel, nothing. And we're assuming that his max power thing is in fact a technique one can teach others.

     Korin never got tired of the view.

     For the last 800 years, he had lived peacefully on his tower, one which extended all the way to the heavens, and in all that time, he never grew tired of waking up in the morning and gazing down from the railing of the central chamber towards the clouds which hung over the many people below. With his telepathy, he could sense the energies of every living thing on his beloved planet’s surface as they went about their routine lives, completely unaware of the danger now posed to them by two entities thousands of light years away.

     Suddenly, however, a bright light appeared behind the feline as he surveyed his domain.

     “Kami,” Korin stated simply, to which he replied in kind.

     “I trust you are aware of the situation?” Kami asked, already knowing the answer.

     Korin simply nodded. “Goku’s brother, coward though he may be, still has the same warrior’s blood in his veins. He was in a tier all his own compared to anything this planet has faced-stronger than all but the greatest warriors even of your own planet.”

     “Indeed,” Kami replied grimly. “King Yemma has begrudgingly allowed Goku to receive training from King Kai-Sama, but I doubt he will be so courteous to the others. And Piccolo has absconded with young Gohan.”

     “It would not be wise to attempt to intervene, old friend,” Korin replied, sensing Kami’s thoughts. “King Piccolo carried the greater half of your power, and his son carries still greater potential. A rescue attempt could be costly, especially if Piccolo is killed in the attempt. Besides...I can sense the influence of your counterpart’s soul diminishing within his mind.”

     Kami looked at him, surprised. “You are certain of this?”

     “Indeed. It would seem that Piccolo’s own personality is asserting itself more and more. And the boy is like his father was when he was younger, in many ways. It may yet be possible for him to turn to the side of good.”

     “Hmph. Perhaps. But at any rate, it falls to us and Mr. Popo to prepare Earth’s warriors for the Saiyans’ arrival,” Kami concluded.

     Korin nodded. “I believe Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, Yajirobe, and Chiaotzu are our best chance.”

     Kami turned to him yet again. “Just those five warriors? S-surely there are others with great potential. The renowned King Chappa, or Panput, perhaps? Both have won global tournaments before.”

     “Bah! Amateurs,” Korin muttered distastefully. “Goku didn’t even have to try to defeat them.”

     “Nam of the desert?” Kami suggested.

     “...Better. Although, unlike these other warriors, he is bound to serve his village. I do not believe he would be willing to separate himself from them for a year, even in light of the circumstances.”

     “Chi Chi?”

     “She gave up the warrior’s life long ago.”

     “Hm...what about Roshi?” Kami eventually suggested after a moment’s consideration.

     Korin sighed loudly before replying. “He does indeed possess a fair amount of power, but his advanced age presents a problem. Moreover...he does not strike me as being worthy of your training, Kami.”

     “His age is a concern, but I do not see how this makes him unworthy of training, especially given the feats of strength he has displayed in the past.”

     “The other warriors have had slight moral lapses, but he is unscrupulous, and his motives impure,” Korin responded, scoffing. “If he put as much effort into climbing my tower when he was younger as he did into trying to ‘pick up chicks,’ he would’ve done it in 3 weeks instead of 3 years!”

     “Perhaps, but it is clear that age and experience has changed him...somewhat,” Kami stated. “He does indeed possess concern for the world and all of its inhabitants, and places it vastly ahead of his own pursuits. After all, he gave his own life in an attempt to stop my darker half. And furthermore, there are some techniques of his which the others can learn from.”

     “Hm...well, you have the final say, old friend. But I would like to say that I believe you are mistaken in your judgement of him.”

     “Your objection is noted,” Kami stated before turning to the Tower’s other inhabitant, who had up until that point been ignoring them both while chowing down on roasted fish.

     “Yajirobe!” Kami commanded, startling him and causing him to drop the piece of meat he was about to eat. “I need you to deliver a message to five warriors on Earth. Inform them of the coming Saiyan threat, and tell them that I require their presence in order to train for their arrival in one year’s time.”

     “K,” Yajirobe replied simply. “Who do you want me to bring here?”

     “Who-? W-weren’t you listening?” Kami asked him, dumbfounded.

     “Nah. I was too busy eating.”

     “Hm. Alright. I want you to bring Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Roshi to the Lookout.”

     “K. Be back later,” Yajirobe said as he pulled out a capsule containing his car and flew off of the Tower.

     “So...when are you going to tell him you wanted him to train here, too?” Korin asked.

     “He’ll figure it out on the way back,” Kami replied. “In the meantime, I will retire to the Lookout to prepare for their arrival.”

     “Good luck, my friend,” Korin said as Kami began to glow with light once more. After he had disappeared and returned to the Lookout, Korin added under his breath, “We’re all going to need it.”


	2. The Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yajirobe gathers Kami and Korin's chosen fighters to prepare for the arrival of the Saiyans in one year's time.

     Far out in the ocean, a small island with a singular dwelling sat peacefully amidst the ocean’s more turbulent currents. A picture of calmness and serenity, the two story pink house seemed out of place with its surroundings, partly due to it being moved onto the island through a singular capsule by its owner, the retired martial artist known as Muten Roshi. Affectionately referred to as the “Turtle Hermit” for both his peculiar method of training disciples through wearing a large turtle shell and his companion Turtle, the 300 year old master was once renowned as the most powerful martial artist in history, having trained under the likes of Master Mutaito and the cat deity Korin. He himself took on a handful of disciples following his master’s death sealing away the fearsome King Piccolo, including the Ox-King of Fire Mountain and the legendary Son Gohan.

     However, it was the latter’s adopted grandson Son Goku, as well as the monk Krillin, who would become his greatest students, both vastly surpassing him in terms of power. For a time, Roshi continued to participate in the world of martial arts under the guise of a perverted old warrior named “Jackie Chun,” narrowly defeating Goku in the 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai and making it to the semifinals against Tien Shinhan, disciple of his rival Master Shen. Although he held his own against him, Roshi saw how much more powerful his students were getting, and decided to opt out of the match and the world of martial arts for good. In spite of this, he gave his life defending the Earth when King Piccolo was freed from his seal, and would continue to provide his students with advice and whatever assistance he could following his resurrection. Now, however, his serene home was burdened by a sequence of tragedies, the only outward evidence of them being the hole that the alien warrior Raditz had left in the wall during his first encounter with Goku.

     Now, in the aftermath of Goku’s second battle with the warrior who claimed to be his long lost brother, during which the son of King Piccolo killed them both in a last ditch attempt to secure victory, Goku’s friends and family gathered at Roshi’s home to mourn his loss. Goku’s wife, Chi Chi, began to prepare a meal for the group to take her mind off of the news, while Bulma, Goku’s first friend, fiddled with the device they had taken off of Raditz’s corpse. Krillin and Master Roshi, meanwhile, discussed how best to prepare for the heralded arrival of Raditz’s allies, the Saiyan warrior Nappa and his liege, Prince Vegeta.

     “So, if I cross connect these circuits here...” Bulma muttered before the device sparked to life. “A ha! Got it!” She put on the device over her right eye and pushed a button on the side to activate it. “Alright, my modifications to the linguistic database seem to be taking...now let’s see how this works...”

     She turned to Krillin and Master Roshi, who were in the middle of conversation regarding where they might train.

     “We could try training with Korin again,” Krillin suggested. Master Roshi simply shook his head.

     “You all matched Korin in speed long ago. You have already received the main fruits of his training.”

     “Well, what about Kami, then? Goku got insanely strong after he trained with him.”

     “Over 3 years,” Roshi replied. “We don’t have that kind of time. Not to mention we don’t quite know what kind of training he got up there in the first place, beyond his weighted clothing.”

     “The fact remains, there’s no way we’ll get strong enough to fight these guys just training on our own. This Raditz guy managed to hold his own against both Goku and Piccolo, and his allies are supposed to be, like, ten times stronger!”

     Master Roshi merely sighed, lost in thought. “If only we knew where the others were, we could come up with a better strategy...”

     Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud beeping noise as the scouter registered both their power levels.

     “Let’s see…139 for the old man, 206 for Krillin, and...1 for me,” Bulma muttered. “But under what metric? Is it measuring concentration of ki, or something else?”

     “What have you got there, Bulma?” Krillin asked.

     “It’s the device we found on Raditz’ body. I think it’s some kind of monitoring device, to gauge others’ levels of power and determine their locations.”

     “Hm...perhaps we could locate the others with that thing,” Roshi pondered. “Try and see if you can extend its range beyond Kame House.”

     Bulma fiddled with the controls until she got a wider view. “Hm, okay...there’s one power level of 177 out in what I’m guessing is West City, along with another power level of 10.”

     “That must be Yamcha and Puar. Probably at a baseball game or something,” Krillin responded.

     “250 and 155 outside of Shining Falls.”

     “Hm...Tien and Chiaotzu?” Krillin guessed.

     “And a power level of 25 approaching them.”

     “Huh. No idea who that could be.”

     “Oh, and a power level of about...188 heading this way.”

     Both Krillin and Roshi sat up at this. “Now who could that-?” Roshi began before a loud whirring noise began picking up in intensity right outside. The group hurried out to find Yajirobe landing by a palm tree in his hover car. After the landing tore up blades of the surrounding grass, Yajirobe disembarked and approached the group.

     “Yo,” he said simply.

     “Uh...hello, there,” Roshi responded. “Can we help you, Mr.-”

     “Yajirobe,” the samurai answered.

     “Oh, yeah, I remember!” Bulma replied. “Goku said that a samurai took him to Korin’s Tower after King Piccolo nearly killed him.”

     “Right, that. Hey, uh, sorry about your loss, by the way. Seemed like a good kid. Anyway, you’re Roshi, right?”

     Roshi nodded in affirmation.

     “And the short baldie over there is Krillin?”

     “...Yes,” Krillin replied, grumbling.

     “Awesome. Green guy wants you two to go over to the Lookout to train with him.”

     “Green guy-you mean this Kami I keep hearing so much about?” Bulma replied.

     “Yeah, him. Says some alien guys are coming by in a year to blow up the planet, so you two need to go train with him so you can beat them up.”

     “Wait-he requested for **me** to join him?” Roshi asked, confused.

     “Well, unless there’s another guy named Roshi who’s a legendary martial arts master, then yeah, he requested for you to accompany Krillin there. Him and three other guys-Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu.”

     “Oh! If you need help finding them, we can tell you where they are,” Bulma chimes in.

     “Nah. Kami already told me where they were through his mind thing.”

     “Telepathy?” Krillin asked.

     “Yeah, that.”

     “Well...I can’t think of any better place to train for these Saiyans, so we’d best not delay,” Roshi concluded.

     “K. Hop on,” Yajirobe said, jumping back into the driver’s seat. Krillin and Roshi soon followed, bidding farewell to the others as Roshi left Turtle in charge of the house while he was gone. With that, the three set off in search of the other three warriors.

* * *

     “...Whoa, that is...huh.”

     Yamcha sat in the back of Yajirobe’s hover car, still trying to process the news. Goku being an alien, Goku’s brother showing up, Goku dead, and now two more aliens showing up even stronger than the guy that beat up both Goku and Piccolo? It was simply too much.

     “Yeah, that just about sums it up,” Krillin replied consolingly.

     “Do you really think Kami’s training will help us stand a chance?”

     “...It’s more accurate to say it’s our best shot.”

     “Quiet, you two!” Roshi said, eager to halt the declining morale. “We’re almost at Tien’s location.”

     As he spoke, a pair of gigantic waterfalls came into view, a sight which would be stunning were they not interrupted by the sound of distant gunfire beneath them.

     “Agh! What the-who’s shooting down there?!” Yajirobe said, panicking.

     The other three simply paused.

     “Launch?” Krillin chimed in.

     “Launch,” the other two agreed.

     The various issues created by the two identities of Launch-one a charming pacifist, the other a violent thief with a tendency to shoot first, ask questions never-were well known to both Krillin and Master Roshi, with Yamcha having gotten enough of a taste of her during their various adventures to see it for himself. In particular, Krillin was aware of both “Bad Launch’s” tendency to wind up on the wrong side of the law, and her own attraction to Tien since the days of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai. Thus, as the hover car landed just off of the road to the falls, and the group saw her carrying groceries while being hunted down by two cop cars, none of them were particularly surprised. No sooner had they moved a step towards her than Tien flew down and picked up the bike she was driving, carrying her and the groceries back to a small cottage at the top of the falls while the others simply looked on.

     “...We really need to figure out how to do that,” Krillin finally stated, to the assent of all parties involved.

* * *

     After ascending the falls towards Tien’s cottage, the group were greeted by an old enemy turned friend. Once a student of Master Roshi’s rival Shen, the Crane Hermit, Chiaotzu had long walked the path of an aspiring assassin alongside his friend Tien Shinhan. However, it was Tien’s determination to defeat Son Goku during the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, as well as his master’s orders to kill his best friend, which caused Chiaotzu to turn his back on his old master and join the side of good. Since then, he had never left Tien’s side, doing his best against the likes of King Piccolo when he attempted to regain his youth and giving his life in the attempt. Now revived, he has continued to train alongside his friend, helping him achieve his goal of matching Son Goku. His white skin, red cheeks, and remarkable telekinetic powers certainly made him an oddity among the Earth’s inhabitants-in light of all that had happened, Krillin was indeed beginning to wonder if Goku wasn’t the only alien living on Earth. Nevertheless, his good nature and positive attitude made him a ready friend to all who knew him.

     “Greetings, everyone!” Chiaotzu said, beaming. “Welcome to our humble abode!”

     Krillin smiled. Although they had once been rivals in the Budokai, they had grown to be rather close friends in the years since.

     “Heya, Chiaotzu!” he replied with a smile. “It feels like forever since we last saw you and Tien. How have you been?”

     Chiaotzu smiled nervously. “Oh, good, good. Aside from one...recurring dilemma.”

     As he opened the door, they could hear the brash voice of a young blonde woman shouting at a taller bald man with three eyes-undoubtedly Tien and Launch in her Bad incarnation.

     “-You needed food, so I got you food! I don’t see what the big deal is!”

     “The ‘big deal’ is that stealing is wrong, Launch.”

     “Well, maybe if one of you two went out and got a job, I wouldn’t have had to!”

     “Why don’t you get a job if you’re so insistent?!”

     “Ah, right, yeah, sure, like that’s going to happen! ‘So, Miss Launch, what skills do you have which you believe make you suited for this position?’ ‘Oh, that’s easy-I shoot people, and I steal stuff!’ That skillset isn’t exactly going to qualify me for a desk job anytime soon!”

     As the two continued to argue, Chiaotzu looked back at the group apologetically. “I, uh...I’d advise against bothering them.”

     The rest of the group could only nod before flinching as the argument reached a greater noise level than before.

     “We didn’t even need that food!”

     “Didn’t-Tien, you and the midget haven’t eaten for ten days!”

     “It’s called fasting, Launch! And if you call Chiaotzu by that derogatory term one more time, I’ll-!”

     “Uh, hey, excuse me?”

     The two were caught off guard along with the rest of the group by Yajirobe’s sudden interjection. Chiaotzu tried in vain to pull him away, his efforts arrested by his extreme mass, as the samurai continued, “Listen, I hate to interrupt your lovers’ quarrel, but I need to speak to the triclops and I’m kinda on the clock here.”

     “You mean because of the Saiyans who were a friend of Goku’s brother coming to Earth in a year’s time ready to destroy the planet?” Yamcha replied, partly to reaffirm to himself that that was actually happening.

     “No-my dinner. I only had lunch about three hours ago, and I’ve been spending the rest of that time rounding up you idiots. Although, as an aside, thanks for the summary-makes my job even easier.”

     “Wait a second,” Tien cut in, confused, while Launch remained silent, still somewhat embarrassed. “Saiyans? Goku’s brother? Destroy the planet? I-I’m going to need some context for all of that.”

     Krillin sighed, understanding his confusion. “Look, we’ll explain on the way, but we need you and Chiaotzu to come with us so we can train with Kami before they arrive.”

     “Now wait just a second, baldy!” Bad Launch retorted. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming over here and demanding these two just drop everything without so much as an explanation-”

     “Alright,” Tien answered simply, to the astonishment of all and especially that of Launch.

     “‘Alright’?! You’re seriously going to go with these losers based on nothing but a...a...atCHOO!”

     With that single sneeze, Launch’s hair immediately turned from blonde back to its usual blue, and her eyes shifted from being narrowed to wide as the rest of her body underwent slight adjustments while reverting to her Good state. She looked around, disoriented, before her eyes fell onto the visitors.

     “Oh! Krillin! Master Roshi! Yamcha! It’s been so long!” she said, beaming, as she moved to hug each of them. Krillin and Yamcha replied in kind, thankful that she had shifted back and happy to see her again, while Roshi had to be swiftly reminded through a kick from Krillin not to return the hug too “enthusiastically.” When she got to Yajirobe, she remarked, “Hm. I don’t think I’ve met you before. You are…?”

     “Yajirobe,” he replied simply.

     “How wonderful! Would you like some food, Mr. Yajirobe? I have no idea where all of these groceries came from, but I should be able to make enough of my famous daikon stew for everyone!”

     The suggestion was heartily answered by the group, who had likewise not eaten for several hours. As Launch went to prepare the food with Chiaotzu’s help, Tien and the others sat down, discussing the issue at length over the twenty minutes it took the pair to prepare dinner.

     “So, in summary: Goku’s an alien sent here to kill all life on Earth.”

     “Yup,” Krillin replied.

     “But he didn’t because he hit his head as a baby.”

     “Uh huh,” Yamcha answered.

     “So now this Raditz guy, otherwise known as **Goku’s brother** , showed up to pick up where he left off.”

     “Yeah,” Roshi responded.

     “He then kidnapped Goku’s son when he refused to join him.”

     “Apparently,” Yajirobe answered between mouthfuls of stew.

     “Then beat the everloving crap out of both him and Piccolo, before his **four year old son** severely wounded him with a single attack.”

     They all collectively replied “Yes.”

     “This then allowed Piccolo to use some new technique of his to kill both Raditz and Goku…”

     “Yeah,” from Krillin.

     “Only for Raditz to reveal that his two significantly more powerful partners were listening in halfway across the galaxy...”

     “Yes,” from Roshi.

     “And were particularly attentive to the part about the **Dragon Balls** Piccolo just so happened to mention…”

     “Particularly,” from Yamcha.

     “So now they’ll be at Earth in a year, and in response, Piccolo decided to-”

     “Kidnap Goku’s son, yes,” Chiaotzu answered.

     “Which means we have to somehow become stronger than the strongest person any of us have ever seen before, the guy who beat Son Goku, the previous record holder, to mulch...in one year.”

     “So it seems,” Roshi concluded.

     Tien was silent for a full minute after that, before finally saying, “...Hm. Well. Alright, then.” He got up and moved to collect a few bare essentials into a single rucksack. “Launch, you’ll be in charge of the cottage while me and Chiaotzu are gone.”

     “For a whole year?” Launch replied, disappointed. “There’s no one else to talk to out here.”

     “Well you could always come with us to the Lookout!” Roshi blurted out as the others tried to stop him.

     “Oh! Could I? That would just be marvelous!” Launch replied, to the chagrin of all but Roshi.

     “...Very well,” Tien reluctantly agreed before motioning for everyone to clear out of the cottage. He stepped out of the cottage last before moving to a small panel on the eastern side. There, he inserted an empty capsule into an empty slot and pushed the button, allowing the entire cottage to be stored within the small capsule and put into his pocket.

     “Now...shall we depart?”

* * *

     “They will be arriving within the hour, Kami-sama,” Mr. Popo, Kami’s faithful servant from Other World, stated.

     “Good,” Kami replied. “How goes the Senzu Beans Korin is preparing?”

     “He’s growing them as fast as he can. He’s particularly upset about the addition of a sixth fighter.”

     “I can imagine. Well, not much we can do about it-he already determined that the beans will not grow under the Time Chamber’s intense gravity, and barely escaped himself.”

     “So you are certain that the Time Chamber will be of no use to Goku’s allies? It’s no worse than that of King Kai-sama’s planet.” Mr. Popo asked.

     “This is true, but it makes no difference. Although their strength may yet grow to where they could bear the Chamber’s gravity, their physiology is simply not built for it like Goku’s was. And even he could only last a month inside.”

     “I see. So we’ll have to use the conventional methods.”

     “Indeed. The weighted clothing should have a similar enough effect, and the addition of a sixth sparring partner should make training easier.”

     “Well...” Mr. Popo concluded as Yajirobe’s hovercar landed on the Lookout’s marble tiles, the other chosen fighters and Launch in tow, “We can only hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! This is finally done! Oho, man, did that take a while.
> 
> Anyway, might have noticed I took a few cues from the anime when setting these scenes up, mostly because I thought the story could benefit from their inclusion(especially Launch-how do you "forget about" one of the last series' main characters?)
> 
> Apologies for the slow pacing-I promise, we just have one more chapter of set up to go, and then it's off to combat. So, just, thank you all for reading and being patient, and I hope you all enjoyed. Don't forget to let me know what you think.


	3. The Lookout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Z Warriors train with Mr. Popo and Kami on the Lookout in preparation for the Saiyans' arrival on Earth in one year's time.

Kami looked over the warriors he had chosen to train with him on the Lookout, taking note of their particular ki, their evident personalities, trying to get as much of a sense of who they were and what training would be best suited for them as he could. He took a deep breath and addressed the group.

“Greetings. As you are aware, in one year’s time, two alien entities of immense power will land on this planet, intent upon the Dragon Balls I made for this planet so long ago. The conflict with their ally Raditz claimed the life of our dear and treasured friend Goku, who is currently seeking the training of the legendary martial arts master King Kai-sama, the Lord of the Worlds. Although my methods are not as extensive as his, I will do all I can to adequately prepare all six of you for the coming conflict with the resources I have available. I see no reason that your training should not begin immediately.”

He gestured to Mr. Popo, who was standing behind him. “The concept of weighted clothing is familiar to all of you, through the training methods of Muten Roshi. His turtle shells weighed approximately thirty kilos, correct?”

“Sounds about right,” Roshi replied.

“The material we have available to us is far more dense and heavy than Roshi’s shell. We shall begin with a simple weighted gi of thirty kilos before moving on to the extremities and the heavier weights we have available. If you would all please stand still a moment, and take off your gis?”

Roshi, Krillin, and the others complied, except for Yajirobe, who was wondering why Kami had mentioned six fighters. Suddenly, Kami engulfed them with six beams of light which left them all clothed in gis which matched their usual color schemes-orange and blue for Yamcha, Krillin, and Roshi, green and yellow for Tien and Chiaotzu, and an orange gi for Yajirobe. The six were staggered to varied extents by the sudden weight, with Roshi having to power up in order to bear it and Chiatozu nearly falling to the ground. The others groaned, but kept their footing, and Yajirobe stumbled onto the ground.

“W-wait! Hold on, I didn’t sign up for any of this!” he protested.

“Perhaps not, my friend, but if you do not participate, your planet will likely be destroyed, with you upon it,” Kami replied sternly. Yajirobe promptly shut up. “Now...you will spar with Mr. Popo and each other while wearing gis and bands of various weights, in order to acclimate yourself to their effects. You will also have to grow accustomed to the reduced air on this Lookout. I shall observe your progress and offer advice where I can, but this training shall largely be at your own discretion once you have all surpassed Mr. Popo. Thank you for your understanding...and good luck.”

With that, the six warriors began their training.

2 Weeks, 5 Days

It was a calm night on the Lookout, the group having concluded their training and Good Launch preparing them one final meal before they rested for the night. All of the fighters were in relatively good spirits in spite of their apparent setbacks, save for one-Yajirobe. Opposed to the entire situation from the start, the repeated injuries at the hands of Mr. Popo, and his own patronizing comments, did nothing to improve his demeanor.

Yamcha had just told the group an amusing anecdote about his tryout for West City’s major league baseball team, to the approval of all, but paused when he saw that Yajirobe was not taking part in the festivities.

“Hey, man, you doing alright?” he asked the samurai. “You seem like you’ve been kinda down lately.”

“Ugh, it’s that stupid genie guy! Keeps getting on my nerves.”

“Aw, he’s not so bad,” Yamcha replied consolingly. “Popo’s just an, uh...acquired taste.”

“Yeah, he can actually be pretty funny when he isn’t sparring with you,” Krillin added.

“Still, fighting him is so annoying! He just pops up out of nowhere sometimes, faster than you can see! How are you supposed to block that?”

“That would be where energy sensing comes into play,” Master Roshi interjected, his gaze being momentarily drawn away from Launch as the conversation continued.

Yajirobe, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu were all confused by this, while Tien gave a knowing nod. “Energy sensing?” Krillin eventually asked.

“Indeed,” Roshi replied. “Mr. Popo still outmatches all of us in terms of sheer physical speed. Your only hope of gaining an advantage besides simply getting stronger is by honing the ability to sense an opponent’s energy and react accordingly.”

The others began to nod. “Now that you mention it, Goku seemed to know that Raditz was coming,” Krillin remarked, to which Tien nodded again.

“Any warrior experienced in the manipulation of ki will likely develop the technique on their own through intense training or meditation,” Tien informed the group. “Goku likely learned how to do it during his time up here, and refined it over the last five years. And as for Roshi, well, he’s spent more time training in the use of ki than the rest of us combined. It’s only natural that he’d have developed the technique sooner or later.”

“Can you do it, Tien?” Yamcha asked, out of curiosity.

Tien chuckled. “Why, yes, actually. I’d been dimly aware of the ability for years, but only within the last few years did I succeed in fully mastering it.”

“Well, that explains how you two have done so much better against Mr. Popo,” Krillin concluded, to which the pair of them chuckled.

“If you would like, I imagine the two of us could walk you through the basics. Might give you the edge you need,” Tien offered, with a slight wink directed at Yajirobe, who merely scoffed in reply.

“Whatever,” he answered.

The others were, as to be expected, far more enthusiastic as they gathered around the pair of warriors, Mr. Popo and Kami observing them from the courtyard with a smile.

4 Months, 17 Days

Kami looked on as Yajirobe swung wildly at Mr. Popo, struggling to break through his guard in spite of the limitations of his fully equipped gi. Roshi stood next to him, having defeated the genie in combat 2 weeks ago and moving beyond the limits of his 130 kilo gi, wristbands, and shoes.

“Amazing how quickly they all took to it, huh?” Roshi remarked.

“Indeed. Even Yajirobe, whose efforts thus far have been particularly lacking.”

“Well...promising him a fully cooked meal every time he beat Mr. Popo probably had something to do with it,” he said, smirking, to which Kami replied in kind.

“Still, you all are growing far stronger than Goku did during his three years with us.”

“Eh, if I had to guess, I’d say it was our age and experience. Children can only grow so strong, and Goku was only 15 when he came here.”

“Perhaps. But in any event-,” he began before Yajirobe knocked Mr. Popo to the ground, yelling triumphantly, “I believe you are all ready to fully set out on your own with training, as you have exceeded the capacity of our best weighted equipment.”

“Indeed. I’m curious to see what new techniques the others will develop during their training.”

Kami nodded before an idea struck him. “Actually...there may be one other method through which I can assist your training.”

“Oh?”

“The technique you displayed against Mr. Popo when you fought him, where you increase your muscle mass.”

“Hm...yes,” Master Roshi pondered. “It is indeed very powerful. I have wondered for some time whether or not my disciples should learn it, but from my own experience, I’m not sure how much of an advantage it will give. It’s incredibly draining, and prevents any movement at all at full power.”

“Still, with some refinement...it may prove a useful tool,” Kami mused. At this, Roshi chuckled. “Hm? Did I say something funny?”

“No, no, it’s just...it keeps hitting me how long it’s been since I was a disciple of...well, anyone, ever since my own had perished. I had long considered myself to be the master, and now...”

Kami chuckled. “Well, my friend, you may not be a master anymore, but you are most certainly still a teacher, and a valued one at that.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course. Why else would your disciples continue to seek your guidance even as their strength grows to surpass yours?”

Roshi had to chuckle at that. “Well...seems this old coot is still useful for something, at least.” He then called down the others from an aerial sparring match, just as Launch and Mr. Popo had finished preparing dinner for Yajirobe. “You four! I wish to speak to you all!”

The four landed as instructed and awaited his command.

Kami cast a sideways glance at Roshi as he addressed them, “It’s about time you all begin the next stage of your training. As you have all surpassed Mr. Popo, the next step is to continue to grow stronger by sparring with each other. Learning from each other, learning to trust each other with your lives. You have already learned several techniques from each other, but now, your teacher Roshi will impart upon you his most powerful technique, which I shall teach you all to refine as much as possible in preparation for the Saiyans’ arrival. Now...I shall leave the finer points of instruction to your old master.”

Roshi smiled as Kami walked away, and readied himself to teach once more.

5 Months, 24 Days

Roshi scowled as he observed the others in their sparring match. Tien and Chiaotzu were engaged in fighting Krillin in the sky, all of the fighters save Yajirobe having long ago learned the art of flight through ki manipulation from them.

“Something wrong, Master Roshi?” Yamcha asked as he continued to look up in disgust. He scoffed.

“To think, the technique of my hated rival is the one we must learn above all others if we are to defeat these Saiyans...”

Yamcha paused to consider this. “Sir, the two aliens likely have the same power of flight that Raditz showed off. If you don’t learn how to-”

“I know, I know. Still...I keep wondering why I never figured it out during all of my years of training.”

“Well, you definitely figured out a lot of other cool stuff,” Yamcha replied.

“Heh. I’m still wondering how you learned that other technique of yours. It’s remarkably potent, and versatile, to boot.”

“Well, sir, perhaps we could work out a trade-you go learn how to fly, and I’ll teach you the Spirit Ball.”

Roshi chuckled. “Seems like a fair deal,” he said as Krillin landed, concluding a sparring session with Chiaotzu.

“Woo-hoo! Flying is awesome!”

Roshi sighed before looking up at Tien and Chiaotzu. “Say...you two got room for one more sparring partner?”

6 Months, 13 Days

It was a brisk morning when Roshi awoke to the sensation of a large quantity of ki rising before gradually dispersing, leaving the ki weaker as a result. He could recognize the particular ki signature almost immediately, and stepped outside of the Lookout’s living quarters to investigate. It didn’t take him long to find Chiaotzu standing in the courtyard, trying in vain to access the Max Power transformation.

As Yajirobe had expressed no interest in putting effort into learning a technique that could do that much damage to one’s body over time, only Roshi’s own disciples had attempted the technique after he had walked through it with them several weeks prior. Yamcha had only recently gotten the hang of using it, and channeling its base power in the form of a Max Power Spirit Ball. However, Krillin and Tien took to it quickly, and improved upon the technique with Kami’s help. He could sense that their improvements, besides allowing for far more freedom of movement, also increased their power by 25%, modifications that he was still struggling to attain himself even as they figured out how to channel the form’s power into their own signature attacks. They were all progressing rather nicely by Roshi’s estimation, but, unfortunately, Chiaotzu was the sole exception. Already starting to fall behind and only barely managing to beat Mr. Popo in his weighted clothing two weeks before, this latest development left Chiaotzu even more outclassed, which Roshi could tell frustrated him greatly.

Roshi then sensed the familiar presence of Mr. Popo observing Chiaotzu beside him, unsure of when he had gotten there. Roshi still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the friendly genie, but he at least knew that he was devoted to the protection of Earth and to his own master, a devotion which Roshi could respect.

“He’s been at this since midnight,” Mr. Popo remarked. “I told him to get some rest, but he angrily waved me off. It’s very unlike him.”

“Indeed. Perhaps I should have a talk with him,” Roshi replied, and began walking towards Chiaotzu just as he was about to begin another attempt.

“Alright, Chiaotzu, that’s enough!” Roshi said sternly.

Chiaotzu ignored him and continued trying to power up.

“You’ve been at this for far too long! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

Chiaotzu’s veins began to show themselves all throughout his body as his power level rose.

“CHIAOTZU!” Roshi bellowed, breaking Chiaotzu’s concentration and causing him to fail the attempt. He fell to the ground panting for a moment before getting back up and pointing his finger accusingly at Roshi.

“What was that for?! I almost had it!”

“No, you didn’t,” Roshi replied calmly, yet sternly. “The Max Power technique causes an extreme expansion in mass due to the infusion of ki into the body. If the body isn’t developed enough to handle this increase, it could collapse from the pressure and kill the user.”

“I just need more time to get the hang of it! I know I can do it!” Chiaotzu protested.

Roshi sighed. “...I’m afraid you won’t ever be able to, Chiaotzu.”

Before Chiaotzu could respond, Roshi continued, “Look, I’m...not entirely sure how your body works compared to the others, but at the rate it seems to be developing, you’re not going to become physically mature enough to handle the transformation for years, maybe decades. And in the meantime, continually trying to force it is only going to hurt you more down the road. ...I’m sorry, Chiaotzu, but I cannot allow you to attempt to master this technique any longer.”

Chiaotzu was crestfallen, and tears began creeping out of the corner of his eyes.

“B-but I’ve got to! I have to get stronger! I have to!” he cried out before pausing. “If I can’t get strong enough to do anything against those Saiyans, the entire Earth will be destroyed. And then Tien and Launch would...would...”

“I know,” Roshi said, laying his hand onto his shoulder. “I know how much they both mean to you. But destroying yourself before the Saiyans even get here isn’t going to be of much help to them, now is it?”

Chiaotzu shook his head slowly, evidently dejected.

“I just...I wish I could do more. It feels like all I’m doing is holding everyone else back.”

“On the contrary, kid, you hold far more potential than you realize. Sure, you may not excel in terms of pure fighting strength, but with regards to your other abilities...”

“You mean my telekinetic powers?” Chiaotzu replied.

“Exactly. Master Kami may be able to help you tap some of your hidden potential. And if you could manage to immobilize the Saiyans even briefly...it could give us a distinct combat advantage.”

Chiaotzu’s eyes gleamed at the prospect.

“Don’t worry! I won’t let you down, Muten Roshi!” Chiaotzu affirmed before pausing for a second, Roshi chuckling all the while. It wasn’t often that Chiaotzu referred to him by that honorific, instead simply calling him “Mr. Roshi.” To be addressed as his master, instead of his rival Shen…Roshi simply smiled.

“I know you won’t.”

8 Months, 6 Days

After a long, hard day of training, the group gathered around the improvised dinner table for a feast, cooked by Mr. Popo and Good Launch, who had become fast friends in their mutual love of preparing food. Roshi ate happily along with the others, looking upon their progress with the natural enthusiasm of a teacher. Once again, he had to marvel at the new generation of fighters.

Upon thinking of Tien’s successes, he suddenly noticed his absence at the dinner table. He looked around before glancing at the top of Kami’s Lookout, spotting the errant guest meditating on the spire, lost in thought. He excused himself and clumsily flew up to greet him.

“Heh. Looks I still got to get the hang of this,” he said, trying to break the ice. Tien simply ignored him, and the two sat in silence for a while before he tried again.

“Anything in particular eating at you?”

Tien ignored him before sighing and answering his inquiry. “It’s really stupid.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“Trust me, it is.”

“Well, are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?” Roshi said, chuckling. Tien didn’t respond, which Roshi took as a yes. “It’s about the girl, isn’t it?”

Tien’s third eye widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. “Yes.” Roshi sat patiently until Tien eventually explained. “The last five years, with her around, have been...complicated. At first, when she showed up at our cottage, I just turned her away. I was determined not to have my training encumbered by any...distractions. Then things would be quiet for a while-days, weeks, months on some occasions. But, as soon as she turned Bad again, she’d come roaring right back, usually on the run from the cops of whatever city she just stole something from. So the process continued for a while-Bad Launch showing up, turning into Good Launch and wondering how she’d got there, then me sending her off. If it were late, sometimes I’d let her spend the night, leave at morning. But Bad Launch just kept showing up, no matter how hard I tried to get rid of her.”

The two were silent for a while. “...Go on,” Roshi eventually said.

“About...two or three years ago, something changed. I had just let Good Launch stay the night during a blizzard, and the winds were too strong in the morning for her to go back or for me to carry her to the nearest city. So...she stayed for two more days, in her Good form, and we ended up talking a lot. Just simple things, you know-what each of us planned to do with our lives, how we’d gotten to be the people we were today. Eventually, right as the storm broke, she turned Bad, which made it all the more difficult to get her out of the house. We had a pretty big argument then, and she did something that I never would have expected. She...left the cottage in tears. Chiaotzu wanted me to go after her, but I was too angry at her to care. The next day, however, something even more surprising happened.”

“Hm?” Roshi asked.

“Good Launch...came back. Even more shocking, she came back angry. At first, I wasn’t sure what I’d done to upset her, but then I realized something: she **remembered**. She still didn’t know what she had done as Bad Launch that night, but she remembered everything I had said to her, and demanded an apology. I hastily offered one, without even thinking. And from then on, Good Launch decided to live with the two of us.” He chuckled resignedly. “I still can’t decide what’s more strange-that she would make that decision even after she remembered all of that, or...that it hasn’t been nearly as bad as I thought it would be.”

Roshi was silent for a long time before he finally said, “So...you’re wondering if life with her is the kind of life you want.”

Tien was shocked. “H-how did you-?”

“Intuition. Also...” Roshi tapped his head a few times. Tien got the message, and chuckled slightly.

“Heh. You always were an annoying old man.”

“Still, it’s pretty obvious you’re conflicted on the whole thing, even without mind reading.”

“I-it is?”

“Yup. We’ve all seen how both forms look at you. Wasn’t hard to piece together.”

“O-oh,” he said, blushing.

“The only question is how you feel.”

“...You know, in retrospect, talking to you about this might not have been the best call.”

Roshi had to laugh heartily at that one. “Nope! Nope, probably not!” Tien simply groaned.

“It’s...I don’t know. I think I just...need more time to...to sort all this out.”

“Well, maybe not too much time,” Roshi cautioned. “You may not have as long as you think.”

Tien thought about it for a moment.

“Just saying, you might want to get all of your affairs in order before you leave this Lookout.”

Tien was silent, lost in thought once more. Roshi chuckled.

“Good talk, as always,” he said. “I’ll have Launch save you a plate if you’re hungry.”

With that, he leap off the spire and returned to the others.

“...Thanks,” Tien muttered when he was out of earshot.

10 Months, 15 Days

“Our time together will soon be at an end, my friends.”

Kami made the announcement to a shocked crowd(with the exception of the usually indifferent Yajirobe).

“I know this may be an unpleasant surprise to you all. I must admit I have grown accustomed to your continual presence here, and will miss it greatly. However, you have all far surpassed myself and Mr. Popo, and have succeeded in every endeavor we have assisted you in. There is simply nothing more that either of us can do to prepare you for the threat of the Saiyans. Your best hope is to spend the remaining time before their arrival training on your own and refining what you have learned during your time here. I wish you all good luck, and pray that you succeed.”

The fighters’ hearts were still sore from this farewell, but they nevertheless packed up their belongings after having one last feast in celebration of their time together. They were about to say their goodbyes to each other until Roshi suggested that they train at Kame House instead of on their own, arguing that the time sparring together would be far more productive than if it were spent on their own. With all of them save Yajirobe agreeing to this proposition, the group they all flew off of the Lookout as Yajirobe took off in his hovercar, dropping off Bad Launch at the foot of Korin’s Tower despite her protestations to be later picked up by Tien.

Kami felt the ki of his temporary pupils for a while longer before turning back towards Mr. Popo.

“Are you sure that it is wise not to inform them?” Mr. Popo asked him.

“Their morale is shaky enough as it is without my condition making things worse,” Kami replied.

“B-but sir, if they knew, they might be able to do something with their wish on the Dragon Balls!” Mr. Popo said, panicked at the prospect of what Kami’s condition meant.

“I’m afraid it would not be possible. The Dragon Balls cannot do for me what I cannot do for myself. And I can no more halt or revert my own aging than could any other man. Besides...perhaps it is truly my time.”

“S-sir, surely you don’t mean that!”

“Think about it. Due to the life link between us, I watched powerless as King Piccolo cast the world into darkness on two separate occasions. When his son sought to avenge his father’s death, my only recourse was to fight through an innocent proxy, and even then I failed to defeat him and had to be saved by Goku. And now, with these Saiyans and the threat they pose to the Earth, the best I can do is to teleport Goku’s body to Other World and send his friends to fight my battle for me.”

Mr. Popo couldn’t say anything as Kami concluded, “No. This is my time. My time to end and allow the new generation to make up for my failures.”

“B-but sir...Goku already turned down your offer to become the next Guardian of Earth. Who would you have replace you?”

“I...am not sure. But I am certain that whoever it ends up being shall be more accomplished than I in that task.”

“K-Kami-sama...” Mr. Popo finally said, overcome by sadness at the outcome facing his beloved master.

Kami sighed. “I am sorry, my friend, but I cannot avoid my fate any more than I can defeat those Saiyans out there.”

He paused before he finally stated what they both knew to be true.

“Before this year has come to an end, regardless of whether Piccolo falls to these Saiyans or the Earth is saved, I will die of natural causes. And with my death, the Dragon Balls shall perish with me.”

Mr. Popo lost all composure as tears escaped his eyes. Kami walked to the edge of the Lookout and looked up at the sky, thinking of his first and greatest pupil.

“Even so...I can think of no better person to receive their last blessing...Son Goku.”

11 Months, 30 Days

Over the next month and a half, training in the vicinity of Kame House proceeded swiftly, with their freedom of movement greatly aided by the power of flight. Working together, each warrior was able to focus on refining their weaknesses and further enhancing their existing abilities; Chiaotzu further refined the telekinetic techniques he had learned from Kami, Yamcha and Roshi perfected the improved Max Power transformation, Roshi mastered the power of flight, and Krillin and Tien focused on further developing their own techniques, Max Power or otherwise. Roshi himself had departed from their impromptu training ground a mile away from the island to return home, greeting the likes of Bulma, Oolong, Turtle, Puar, and Good Launch as he made his way to the restroom. He could still sense the struggle occurring between Krillin and Tien as the former tried to hit the latter with a new technique he had developed, the Scattering Bullet. Just then, however, he felt a strange sensation, as if his mind were being accessed by a distant source.

_“Master Roshi! Can you hear me?!”_

It was a voice that he recognized all too well. And it was coming directly from his own head. _  
_ “W-what the-?! Is that you, Goku?!”

_“Yeah!”_

“How is this possible? Kami said you were training in Other World-how are you talking to me from there?”

_“King Kai is able to communicate telepathically with anyone he wants across the whole universe.”_

Roshi raised his eyebrow. “Is that right…?”

_“Yuh-huh! Anyway, did you guys gather the Dragon Balls?”_

“Y-yes! Everyone pitched in while we were training up on Kami’s Lookout.”

_“Really? Awesome! Cuz, uh...you kinda need to wish me back to life. Like, right now.”_

“What? Why?”

_“Well, the Saiyans are going to land on Earth tomorrow, and-”_

Roshi almost fell out of the toilet seat and onto the floor. “What did you say?!” he exclaimed. “Tomorrow?! That’s a month sooner than we thought!”

 _“Well, because_ somebody _doesn’t own a clock-”_

 _“I was getting around to buying one!”_ Roshi hears a nasally voice exclaim in the background.

_“-I need to head back to King Yemma’s place as soon as possible so that Kami can get me back here.”_

“A-alright! Just give us a few minutes, okay?”

_“Okay, but don’t take too long. It could take me as long as two days to get back.”_

No sooner had Launch walked up to the bathroom door to see what was wrong with Roshi than Roshi had thrown the door open on its hinges, narrowly avoiding her face. He frantically turned to Oolong and Bulma.

“You two! Get the Dragon Balls! Hurry!”

He then hurried out the door and flew off towards the improvised training field, where Tien and Krillin had paused while Yamcha and Chiaotzu floated nearby, observing.

“All of you, come quick!” Roshi exclaimed upon his arrival, to the surprise of everyone. “The Saiyans are coming tomorrow!”

“W-what?!” Krillin and Yamcha exclaimed, while Tien and Chiaotzu were equally shocked.

“I was just talking to Goku telepathically, and he told me that they’ll be here a day before he is! We have to resurrect him as quickly as possible!”

“T-tomorrow?” Yamcha repeated in a small voice. “We were counting on a whole month longer to train-what if we still aren’t strong enough?!”

Roshi looked up at the sky as it suddenly turned black all around them, the signal that the Dragon Balls had been gathered and Shenron had been summoned. The others saw the glowing dragon off in the distance as he prepared to bring their friend back from the dead.

“We’re going to have to be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At last! It is done!
> 
> Ho, man, I truly apologize for the wait on this one, folks. Life, school, just general lack of motivation, sorting out how the story was going to go, getting caught up thinking of a whole *other* story and then trying to reconcile the changes to the plot I wanted to make in that with the ones here so they don't seem samey, and-it was a mess. But, it's done, and with it, we have used up all of our downtime before the action begins with the fight against the Saiyans.
> 
> Not too much I was raring to say for this one, although I am aware some viewers are more...shall we say...power inclined than others. So, I've decided to draft up a little power level rating for our heroes after all this.
> 
> Now, because Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo's training wasn't any different, they're all the same, at 8,000, 981, and 3,500, respectively. Yajirobe's also basically the same, going from 970 in the manga to 1,000 here due to putting in a microcosm more effort and the additional sparring partner he had.
> 
> As for the others, between various differences in their training methodology, the general training on the Lookout, the benefits of learning how to use Roshi's Max Power transformation for themselves and refining it into a 25% power increase, and Roshi's decision to have them train together instead of separately, everyone's a lot stronger here than in the original story.
> 
> Yamcha: 1,480 originally; about 1,800 now, 2,250 at Max.  
> Tien: 1,830 originally; about 2,200 now, 2,750 at Max.  
> Krillin: 1,770 originally; about 2,100 now, 2,625 at Max.  
> Chiaotzu: 610 originally; 750 now, but with greater telekinetic potential.  
> Roshi: 750 in base, 1,000 when at 50%, and 1,250 when at Max power.
> 
> And, as always, Nappa's at 4,000, and Vegeta's at 18,000.
> 
> Ultimately, I think it's fair to put Roshi at being just a little above Gohan in terms of his power when fighting seriously, because as experienced and skilled a fighter as he is, he's still an old man, and thus would have more difficulty getting stronger.
> 
> Anyway, once again, let me all know what you think of this one in the comments. I'd love to hear your opinions on it. In the meantime, stay tuned for chapter 3 as we fight the Saiyans for the fate of the Earth.


	4. The Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the eve of battle against the Saiyan threat, and the Earth's defenders must come to terms with the danger they are about to find themselves in.

It had taken only five minutes to assemble the balls in the lawn just outside of the house, once the alarm had been given. In that time, Roshi, Tien, and the others returned from their improvised training ground just in time to see the balls glow a bright yellow and give rise to a great plume of yellow light. As the sky turned black as night and the light began to take a defined form, the gang looked up in astonishment as the Eternal Dragon Shenron came forth-a green scaled dragon with blue whiskers and red eyes, and whose full length could have enveloped the entire island twice over.

“I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON,” the creature began. “STATE YOUR WISH, AND I SHALL GRANT IT.”

The group looked to each other in astonishment before composing themselves.

“I, uh...I don’t suppose it’d be too much to ask that you destroy the two Saiyans heading for Earth? Or just, you know, send a meteor in their direction?” Oolong asked timidly.

“THAT WISH IS BEYOND MY POWER,” the dragon replied. “I CANNOT DESTROY ANY BEING STRONGER THAN MY OWN CREATOR.”

“F-figured,” Oolong replied.

“Our best shot at winning this thing is bringing Goku back,” Roshi said, to the agreement of the others, before continuing, “Dragon! We ask that you bring the one known as Son Goku back to life!”

The dragon’s red eyes glowed as it called upon its power to fulfill the task presented to it.

“YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. FARE THEE WELL,” the dragon concluded before dispersing into yellow light once more, the 7 balls shooting off into the sky before splitting up and heading for seven different locations.

As the sky returned to normal, the group looked up for a minute before the warriors turned to look at each other. Roshi and Tien could see the fear in the others’ eyes, and they both moved to mask their own nervousness.

“We have twenty four hours until these Saiyans arrive,” Tien remarked simply. “We had better use them.”

* * *

 

Thousands of miles away, in a remote wasteland far from civilization, Piccolo Jr., more commonly known as just “Piccolo,” was meditating at the top of a nearby cliff, his senses attuned to the ki of the half-Saiyan child he had taken as his “pupil” for this last year; Son Gohan, the son of Goku and Chi Chi. A slight change in the ambient temperature of the region broke his concentration, and he looked up to see that the sky had turned black. After a moment or two, the cold air and dark sky departed as quickly as they had arrived.

“So...he has been restored to life,” Piccolo remarked. 

He then mulled over this development. It was almost certain that his nemesis had grown stronger somehow, even as he did not know precisely how he managed it. Becoming stronger after overcoming death itself had become common for the Saiyan warrior, something that his own father had become aware of too late, until he wound up with a gaping hole in his chest. Even so, Piccolo smirked at the thought.

_ You may have gotten somewhat stronger, Goku, but whatever training you received surely pales in comparison to my own! And the best part-without the six months of sparring with your own son, I would never have become as powerful. But now, with this power, I’ll destroy your kinsmen myself! And then...ohoho, and  _ **_then_ ** _...you will fall by my hand, as I rule over the entire world! _

But even as the spirit of his father encouraged these thoughts to flow through his mind, his own spirit turned to thoughts of concern for the boy he had taken; whether he had grown strong enough under his tutelage to survive the coming battle, and whether he would be brave enough to face the enemies they were to face tomorrow without fear. 

These thoughts were angrily suppressed by what was left of his vengeful father’s soul, but it was becoming clear to both of them that what had once been a single, unified consciousness between father and son was quickly diminishing. Now, a new consciousness emerged-his own, and its strength was bound to overwhelm that of his father’s sooner or later. Piccolo had been aware of this for months, aware of it since the first moment he assisted the young child by giving him those apples when he stranded himself on this very cliff. The King Piccolo of old would never show such kindness, and Piccolo had tried to rationalize it by telling himself that he needed the boy alive and strong if his plans were to succeed. But deep down, he knew that there was something greater behind this and many other actions, an emotion a being like Piccolo, son of a king of demons, had never felt before; affection. He felt genuine affection for the child. True, he had traits that were aggravating to him-his lack of fighting spirit, his spoiled nature-symptoms of the life of a young princeling. Even so, there was something in Gohan’s innocence, his compassion even towards a being such as himself, that engendered Piccolo’s appreciation and, in a sense, respect.

Piccolo knew that what remained of his father’s spirit was aware of this change in him, and how his efforts against this change caused him to push Gohan ever harder in his training, striking him hard enough to leave bruises that took hours to heal. The effort caused the opposite of its intended effect, further driving a wedge between their two minds. And yet, Piccolo had to wonder if something else was the cause of this separation, something that he had been sensing vaguely for the last two months:

Kami was about to die.

Piccolo had been feeling his own body begin to decline slightly for weeks. He estimated that at this point, Kami had maybe a month to live, two if he was fortunate. And as was the case with his father, Piccolo and Kami shared a life link; if one should die, the other would as well. Such was the nature of their existence as two halves of a whole entity whose very name has been lost to time. Perhaps, Piccolo mused, this new, separate consciousness that was forming in his mind desired to drive his father’s spirit into the deepest recesses of his brain; to live even one single, fleeting instant as his own person, free to think his own thoughts and pursue his own desires without being constantly steered towards his father’s plans for revenge, before the death of an old, aging fool ripped him away from the world forever. He knew that as a demon, his soul would find no sanctuary in the Other World; instead, he would suffer the same fate as all of those killed by his father and brothers, cursed to drift in limbo for all eternity. And yet, even that seemed preferable to what his life had been up until that fateful moment; eight years living as the living pawn of a father who was long dead, unable to think of anything else other than the last wish of an arrogant monster too proud to allow himself to succumb to the inevitable.

Piccolo raised an eyebrow at the course his thoughts had taken.  _ It would seem that I have gained more ground than I realized _ , he thought. The voice of his father was never truly absent during all of this, instead merely stewing in response to Piccolo’s comments. Thus, for the moment at least, Piccolo was free to think thoughts which were almost his own. Almost, but not quite. And the chief thought among them was an adamant resolution:

_ If I am to die in this coming battle, I shall do so on  _ **_my_ ** _ terms _ .

With that, he closed his eyes and did his best to silence both of the voices in his mind, the only sensation he experienced the calm, steady ki of a sleeping child, one for the moment unaware that the first and fiercest battle of his young life was due to arrive in a matter of hours.

* * *

 

The next twelve hours might as well have been twelve days for the residents of Kame House, and especially for the warriors who had taken up residence there. With the eve of battle approaching, every fighter among them had done their hardest to refine their techniques in preparation for the coming conflict. By the time night had arrived, the warriors were exhausted, and eagerly welcomed sleep. However, Tien found himself lying awake for some time. Eventually, he decided to get some fresh air, and walked out of the house and onto the beach. He sighed and attempted to gather his thoughts when a hand lightly touched his right shoulder. He recognized both the touch and the ki immediately, and turned to the right to see Good Launch standing there silently.

“Launch?” Tien remarked. “What are you doing up?”

“I...I couldn’t sleep,” Launch replied.

“Ah. Yes. Seems to be, uh, going around,” Tien said with a nervous chuckle.

The two glanced at either the ocean or the ground for a moment before Tien attempted to break the silence.

“So, uh...is this what you normally do when you, uh, can’t sleep?”

Launch nodded. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve liked looking out at the ocean. It was strangely calming, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, sea lions barking, boats passing by, the mermaids leaping in and out of the water...”

Tien nodded. “I can see that. Nature holds many small instances of beauty within itself when you take the time to look.”

“Yeah. ...Yeah,”  Launch replied.

Tien raised an eyebrow. “Is there...any particular reason you can’t sleep?” After a few seconds he added, “B-beyond the obvious?”

Launch shrugged. “I guess I’m just...worried, is all.”

“I see,” Tien eventually replied. “Well, I wouldn’t worry too much. That Raditz guy may have given Goku a hard time, but we’ve all gotten stronger than he was over the last year. How much tougher can these partners of his be?”

“Tien...” she began, evidently unsure of what to say. Tien was likewise uncertain as to how to assuage her obvious anxiety.

“With all of us fighting together, we’ll beat those guys, no problem.” He chuckled, although anyone listening could tell his heart wasn’t in it. 

Good Launch frowned. “Don’t talk to me like that,” she said resolutely.

“W-what?”

“ **Don’t** talk to me like that,” she repeated with greater emphasis.

“I-I’m afraid I don’t understand-”

“You know what I mean!” She countered, silencing him. “Don’t talk to me like I don’t understand what’s going on!” Before Tien could form a retort, she continued, “Because I do know what’s going on, you know. I know exactly what’s at stake here, and I have a good enough idea of what you’re up against to be worried sick.” At this point, her voice began to crack, and Tien could see that her right hand was balled up into a fist, one which trembled as she continued to speak. “I know  **damn** well that not all of you are going to make it back home tomorrow. That no matter how hard you all prepared for this, you and everyone else on that Lookout knew full well that you were playing against some pretty sharp odds. That even after everything you’ve been through, no matter how confident you are that you’ll beat these guys to a pulp, a small part of you knows that if you’re wrong about how tough these guys are, you and everyone you care about could  **die** if Goku doesn’t show up on time! So, I would appreciate it if you didn’t stand there and try to calm me down like I’m some-some frightened child, who doesn’t know anything! Okay?!”

By the end of this tirade, Launch had to summon all of her willpower to keep from breaking down crying right there, and all Tien could think to do was hold her and let her face sink into his chest as she let it all out. Having never encountered a situation like this before, Tien felt completely out of his element as he simply patted her gently on the back every so often.

After a few minutes of his attempt at consoling her, Launch pulled herself away from Tien’s chest, yet still had his arms around her shoulders as she sniffled a few times. Tien steeled himself as he prepared to speak.

“This...this is about more than just the Saiyans, isn’t it?” He asked, both as a question and as a statement. Launch nodded. “What’s wrong?”

After a few seconds, Launch took a deep breath and said, “I don’t want to lose this.” Tien responded with a puzzled expression, a signal for her to elaborate, and thus she continued, “This feeling of...stability. Like I can just be myself and live my life without constantly worrying about whatever I was doing after I...”

Tien noticed her hesitation and asked, “After you sneezed?” in an attempt to guess her statement.

Launch nodded. She looked down, evidently troubled by past memories. Tien hesitated for a second before putting his hand on her shoulder, the unexpected touch causing her to look up at him as he gazed into her eyes.

“Tell me,” he stated simply. She took another breath and continued.

“I first started to really notice it when I was five. I’d play with everybody on the playground, sneeze, then wake up standing in the doorway wondering why one of the boys was crying to the teacher and looking at me like I was some kind of demon. Next thing I know, I’m in the principal’s office being suspended from school for three days, for breaking his nose. No matter how many times I said I didn’t do it, nobody believed me.” 

Launch took a breath as one of her earliest memories popped back into her head-crying into her pillow the night she was suspended, still wondering what she had done wrong. She shook her head slightly, as if the memory would simply fall out through her ears if she jostled it around enough, and continued. “It had probably happened before, but after that day, it kept getting more and more frequent. I kept trying to be a normal kid, and yet whenever I sneezed, I’d find myself awake again hours later in some kind of trouble. It felt like I was being swept up by a river and carried along the current no matter how hard I swam against it, only feeling like myself when I grabbed onto the occasional rock to stop myself.”

“Where were your parents during all of this?” Tien asked.

“I...don’t know. I had been living in foster homes all across the continent for as long as I could remember. I imagine they just...gave me up, once the symptoms started appearing. And as for the foster parents, I tried to connect with them and the other kids, but one by one they all just...gave up. No matter how friendly and polite I tried to be, something always happened that ruined everything. The kids I tried to be friends with didn’t want to be anywhere near me, and the kids that  **said** they were my friends were not the kinds of people you should be friends with. And they were...less than friendly to me.”

Tien raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she continued. “Eventually, I’d find myself miles away, alone and confused, and when I called my foster parents, they’d be absolutely incensed that I had apparently run away, even though I never remembered doing such a thing!” She shuddered. “Can you imagine what that’s like? To spend one moment in the safety of a warm room reading a good book before bed, and the next moment finding yourself sleeping on a park bench in another city, or sitting in the back of some stranger’s van, having hitchhiked for hours?”

Tien was silent, hoping that his expression conveyed his sympathy and hid his own inner turmoil.

Launch resumed, “I’d probably been to about eleven foster homes in total before I woke up in a motel in East City, 13 and apparently carrying nothing but 500 zeni and a baseball bat,” She shuddered when she recalled the slight splinter in the wood at the end of the bat-an image with an implication that still gave her nightmares. “By that time, the foster system had given up, and my name was taken off of the agency’s list of available kids. It was like I didn’t exist. And the ‘incidents’ seemed to be getting even worse. Without a stable home, I was in limbo, just kind of milling about and sleeping wherever I could find. It got so bad that at one point I found myself in the hospital with a broken arm. The nice police officer there accused me of attempting to rob a bank, and said they had taken me there for an examination on their way to the prison after I had displayed ‘highly unusual symptoms’ during my arrest. While I was there, even hearing all of that, the only thought in my mind was ‘Somebody,  **please** , find out what’s wrong with me.’” 

Launch gulped and paused for a moment before beginning once more. “Well, obviously they didn’t find anything, and when I woke up next, I was in the next county. From that day forward, I couldn’t ignore what was happening, yet I understood it even less. I saw posters in every city and town I walked through; ‘Launch. Age: 13. Wanted for third degree theft: 20,000 zeni.’” She paused as she recalled the experience. “It was terrifying how similar she looked-the same clothes, the same hair in blonde instead of blue, the same build. Like...some kind of bizarro twin.”

Tien, once again, said nothing. 

“Every week they released a new one. The charges kept piling up, the reward kept growing, and eventually this doppelganger was one of the most wanted criminals around. Even though I couldn’t possibly be this person, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the cops would mistake me for her. And all the while, I kept getting into situations with no idea what had happened previously, for hours or even days at a time. I tried moving somewhere rural just to get away from all, but even that didn’t work. I’d open my eyes and find myself with a bottle of beer in my hand and talking to some mean looking bikers who said that they were my friends. Or I’d end up in the middle of a bar fight with my arms around a man’s throat. Or...I’d wind up in the back of some boy’s car.” 

Tien had no idea how to respond as she trembled slightly, all of the bad memories rising back up to the surface. Eventually his hands held her shoulders a little tighter to get her attention. “You...you don’t have to do this if it’s too much for you.”

“No, no,” she replied, sniffling slightly. “You...you deserve to know everything.”

Tien wasn’t sure what that meant, but after a few deep breaths, Launch finally spoke again. “One day, I closed my eyes about to sneeze, and the next thing I know...Goku was there, stopping the cops from coming after me. Then he and Krillin took me up on that cloud of his and off towards Kame House. Truthfully, I didn’t quite know what to make of the whole thing, but before I knew it, I just...started living here. Just like that. Then I became friends with Krillin and Yamcha and you and Chiaotzu and Bulma and Oolong and...Roshi...” she said hesitatingly. “For the first time in my life, being with all of you guys made me feel like...I belonged somewhere. I had made so many friends, friends who didn’t seem to care much about whatever I was doing during my...lapses. Everyone seemed to just...get used to it. Nobody was afraid of me anymore.  **I** wasn’t afraid of me anymore. I finally felt...whole.”

Tien sighed, suddenly understanding a lot more of her perspective. “And now you’re worried that it’s going to fall apart.”

Launch nodded. “When Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Roshi died the first time, for all of my misgivings about Roshi in particular, I found myself missing them a lot. They had played a part in changing my life for the better. And then, with Goku being dead...” 

Tien nodded. “I remember.” He had only barely managed to catch the plate before it fell to the floor after Krillin broke the news.

“Now they’re all going out to fight these Saiyans, and Goku’s come back to life to fight these Saiyans, and, from what everyone tells me about the Dragon Balls, if they die again...that’s it. They’re just...gone. Forever.”

Tien nodded solemnly. “I told Chiaotzu that no one would think less of him for sitting this one out, but...he insisted that he needed to be there. To keep me safe. To keep... **us** safe.”

It was then that his eyes met Launch’s, and the two hesitated for a moment before Launch finally leaned up onto her toes and kissed him. Tien, caught off guard, attempted to reciprocate to the best of his ability before Launch pulled away after a couple of seconds. They looked at each other again, both of them extremely flustered, until Launch broke the silence.

“Y-you should probably get some sleep,” she said softly, barely above a whisper.

“Y-yeah. Yeah. G-good idea,” Tien replied, his third eye still widened in surprise as he hurriedly regained his composure and walked up the steps to the porch.

“Tien?” she called after him with her back turned, still speaking somewhat softly. Tien paused at the door before she finally said what was on her mind. “Promise that you’ll all keep each other safe?”

Tien nodded. “I promise.”

With that, he closed the door and walked back up to his room sleeping alongside Krillin, as Launch continued to gaze out at the ocean, moonlight reflecting off of its gently rolling waves.

* * *

 

When dawn finally broke, the warriors rose early and were treated to a large breakfast prepared by Launch, Oolong, and Chi Chi, the former still somewhat morose after her earlier conversation with Tien. After they were done eating and had dressed into their various gis, Roshi placed a small capsule into his gi before meeting with the others to discuss tactics.

“Alright, so if these two Saiyans have the same gizmo as Raditz did, they’ll probably gravitate towards the highest power reading,” Roshi stated.

“Well, obviously we don’t want to be standing here. What’s a good location?” Yamcha asked.

“There should be plenty of wastelands where we could make our stand,” Tien replied. “Although...” he paused before nodding his head, “I don’t think they’ll be searching for us first and foremost.”

“Hm?” Krillin asked before the realization dawned on him. “Y-you mean Piccolo is even stronger than us?!”

“Indeed. From my last impression, I sense that he is a fair bit stronger than myself at maximum power.”

“Jeez!” Yamcha said in disbelief. “How the hell did he manage that?” 

Krillin chuckled nervously. “L-let’s just hope he’s discarded ‘King of the World’ as a viable career path.”

Tien chuckled in response. “If all of us work together, we should be able to stop him if it becomes necessary.”

“So, where exactly is he?” Bulma remarked out of curiosity, still not quite knowing how the whole energy sensing thing worked.

Tien turned to her and replied simply, “I felt his ki approximately 2,356 kilometers north from here. And, knowing him, that’s probably in the middle of an isolated desert or something of that nature.”

“Well, then we’d best not hesitate another second,” Roshi responded, to the collective assent of the crowd. 

With that, the warriors milled about with Bulma, Chi Chi, Launch, and the others, before opening the door and looking out at the ocean as it touched the horizon. After casting one last glance at the residents of Kame House, the warriors quickly touched off, flying full speed towards Piccolo’s location. Tien and Chiaotzu were the last to leave, each of them looking at Launch one last time before departing. 

As the two hurried to catch up with the others, Roshi cast a glance behind him before turning back, conflicted. On the one hand, he was happy that Launch had seemed to break the young warrior out of his shell. But, on the other hand…

He was kind of jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so...remember when I said that the next chapter would be fighting the Saiyans? Well...
> 
> Okay, so I was writing that chapter, and without really thinking about it, I started writing these really elaborate scenes with Piccolo, Tien, and Launch, and when I got to writing the actual introduction and combat with the Saiyans, the resulting chapter(before I brought it to what I considered a decent stopping point) was longer than all of my prior chapters combined. So, needless to say, there needed to be some trimming. I decided to cut it off to right before the Saiyans land, and have that be the start of the fourth chapter. Now, I wanted to release it on the same day, but I figured that would probably be a bit too much to do all at once. Plus, if it turned out there were major issues with how I wrote the third one, a lot of those issues might not be resolved in the fourth, resulting in an inferior product. As such, I'm going to give it a few days, maybe a week, before that gets released to work out any issues that arise.
> 
> As far as notes on the story go, there aren't too many, as this chapter's fairly short. This chapter on its own also underwent a fair bit of revision regarding the scene with Launch, as I wasn't sure of how self-aware I wanted Launch to be of her affliction. My original draft had her aware of her split personality as being the cause of her various problems, but I decided that that would be a bit too extreme. So, as far as she knows, she just has these weird, unexplained memory lapses, although I did at least try and elaborate on their effects on her life a bit more, to try and take a bit of the comedic edge off, as it were.
> 
> As always, I would greatly appreciate it if you leave your reviews on this latest chapter below.


	5. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta land on Earth, and the Z Fighters must square off against a threat whose power they are only beginning to truly understand...

The vibrant and bustling metropolis of East City had begun its day the same as it had a thousand others in the past, the city's 2 million residents engaged in a variety of activities. White collar workers scrambled onto buses to get to work on time, parents took their children to school, college students walked towards the city's premiere university, and various other commuters were busying themselves buying groceries or luxury items at their own discretion.

However, the citizens' ordinary day would quickly become anything but, as two large fireballs seemed to materialize out of thin air, on a collision course with one of the city's busier streets. The first of these landed slightly before the second, ramming through a building and embedding itself into the concrete as the other fireball crashed through a street light before following suit. Once the smoke and heat had cleared, onlookers could see that they were not fireballs or random meteors, but rather two perfectly spherical pods. No sooner had they observed this than the pods' doors swung open, revealing a pair of curious looking humanoid creatures. The first was bulky, easily twice the size of the average human, with a physique to match, a bald head and a trimmed goatee. The second was far shorter, with spiky black hair and a look of contempt in his eyes. Both wore strange visors over their right eyes-the first blue, the second red-and both wore a similar style of armor and had what appeared to be furry belts along their waists. Thousands of questions swam in the minds of the onlookers, but something about the gaze of the shorter one silenced their tongues.

"Heh. Look at them all, Vegeta," the first one sneered. "A timid race like this could be easily conquered."

"Well, obviously, seeing as they sent a low class child like Kakarot to do it," Vegeta replied. "Still...there does appear to be a far greater degree of genetic compatibility compared to most other species we have met. All in all, a very promising candidate for our purposes, Nappa."

Eventually, one of the onlookers interjected. "H-hey! W-who are you people anyway?! What is it you want here?!"

Nappa chuckled as Vegeta raised his eyebrow.

"Well, how about that? A ram among the sheep," Vegeta said, to which Nappa laughed.

"Well, then, perhaps we should introduce ourselves!" He began concentrating his ki into his right hand, and raised it upwards in a single swift motion. Within seconds, the entire city was engulfed in a massive ki blast that vaporized everything but the two Saiyans and their Attack Balls.

When the dust cleared, the large warrior laughed heartily. "Perhaps that was too strong an introduction, eh, Vegeta?" He asked rhetorically, to which Vegeta merely scoffed.

"As amusing as that was, we can't allow ourselves to become distracted from our objective; the Dragon Balls that the one that killed Raditz mentioned. And if it turns out any of them were around  **here**..."

"Agh, you're right! Forgive me, my liege, I wasn't thinking!" Nappa apologized.

"Whatever. Let's just find the one that killed Raditz. Search for the highest power reading-it should take a moment to pinpoint its location."

Nappa complied with the request, but paused as his scouter took in some startling information.

"V-Vegeta, I don't understand it. There's a large collection of power levels moving together near our position-within the range of 750 to 2000!"

"What?!" Vegeta cried out in astonishment.  _2000 is the average strength of a common soldier in his army. Surely he hasn't sent any...no!_ No _! I'm positive I deactivated the transmitter on my scouter before we came here, and Nappa told me that he had done the same before we left! He couldn't possibly be here!_ "H-how many power levels are there?"

"It looks like...five in total, sir."

Vegeta let out a sigh of relief as his own scouter beeped. "And the highest power on this planet is fluctuating, yet seems to be holding steady near that range. Must be this planet's sorry excuse for fighters, nothing more." He chuckled at his own foolishness.  _I can't be losing my head now, of all times_ , he chided himself. "Now, let us set out at once!"

With that, the two Saiyans flew off towards Piccolo's position just as the Z Fighters were mere minutes away from doing the same.

* * *

Piccolo's antennae twitched in anticipation as he felt the two enormous powers approaching. "Boy!" he called out to Gohan. "Prepare yourself!"

"Wh-what?" Gohan asked, confused as to what was going on.

"They're coming. The enemies that you and I have trained for this last year to face."

"What?! Y-you mean-!"

"Yes! Now be on your guard and locate their ki. You must be prepared to fight opponents from whatever direction they choose to come from."

Gohan focused his mind, eliminating all unnecessary sensory input until he came upon what he sought: ki signatures. Two powerful ones, approaching from the east, and unlike any ki he'd felt from the likes of Piccolo or his dad's human friends at Kame House. These were undoubtedly the Saiyans that Piccolo had told him about, but...there was something strange.

"M-Mr. Piccolo, you said there were only two Saiyans coming, right?"

Piccolo simply nodded. "Indeed. It would seem that his allies are arriving."

"His allies? What are you-?"

No sooner had Gohan formed the question than five figures suddenly landed in front of them, their ki gradually dispersing as they ceased focusing it into the power of flight. Piccolo simply smirked as Gohan looked on, delighted.

"Hey, I know you guys!" the young boy said. "You guys all fought with my dad!" After a moment, Gohan stopped to consider the wording of his statement. "Or...alongside my dad!" Then he paused again. "Or...largely on the same side as my dad without actually being in the same place as him. I'm pretty sure."

"Honestly, all of them are accurate in a sense," Yamcha replied.

"Yuh-huh," Krillin added.

"Mhm." Roshi.

"Yup-yup-yup!" Chiaotzu.

"More or less." Tien.

"Agh! We don't have time for small talk, you fools!" Piccolo interjected. "The Saiyans will be here any second!"

"Don't worry, I've got an idea to speed things along," Roshi said before tapping the young boy's forehead and focusing his ki. The boy gasped in surprise at the sudden influx of information about each of his apparent allies, but was nevertheless amazed at Roshi's talents.

"Whoaaa. So cool! Can you teach me how to do that, Muten Roshi?"

Roshi smiled with a look of nostalgia, a comforting feeling that Roshi could tell was about to be interrupted as two large ki signatures made themselves known in the vicinity.

"Maybe later, kid," he said quickly as he and the others turned around and surveyed the two Saiyans floating high above their position. The warriors' muscles tensed, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation, as the pair of aliens slowly descended to meet them.

"J-jeez," Krillin muttered as he felt Vegeta's ki. "Goku's brother sure wasn't one to exaggerate..." Vegeta merely smirked in response.

"Yeah," Yamcha added. "That ki blast from East City was insane..."

"So," Piccolo began, ignoring them, "You two are the Saiyans we've heard so much about."

Vegeta's eyebrow rose slightly. "That voice...so  **you** are the one who killed Raditz."

"And a Namekian to boot. With their renowned combat prowess and mystical abilities, it's no wonder Raditz was bested so easily," Nappa remarked.

"Indeed. I would wager that this is the man behind the creation of the treasures we seek."

Piccolo was surprised by this revelation, as were Krillin and Gohan. The others' responses were more measured.

"Y-you're telling me Piccolo's an alien too?" Krillin asked to no one in particular.

"I mean...in retrospect..." Tien replied as the others nodded.

"Well..." Piccolo finally said. "That's...one question answered. But unfortunately for you, I am not the creator of the Dragon Balls. My specialty is combat!" He assumed a battle stance, daring the Saiyans to come at him, but this was met only with a hearty laugh from Vegeta.

"Well, look at this! The slug wants to tangle with a Saiyan elite! Trust me, you'll get your chance eventually."

Piccolo scowled. "S-slug?! I am the reincarnation of the fearsome Demon King Piccolo, whose sheer power cast this world into a shroud of darkness the likes of which had never been seen before!"

"Heh. You want to see a shroud of darkness? Take a look at the dirt floor back thataway," Nappa replied smugly, jerking his thumb in the direction of East City. Piccolo merely growled in anger at the Saiyan's mockery.

"Regardless," Tien interjected. "There's still the matter of your intentions with this planet after you've gotten your wish on the Dragon Balls, whatever it may be."

Nappa laughed. "As if we're under any obligation to explain ourselves to you!"

"They're going to use the Dragon Balls to become immortal," Roshi replied matter of factly, surprising everyone in the group save Tien, who simply nodded with a smirk. The two Saiyans in particular were especially shocked.

"W-what?!" Vegeta asked. "H-how could you possibly-?!"

"After they've got that settled," Roshi continued, his eyes gleaming slightly as he watched the prince squirm, "They've toyed with the notion of subjugating this planet and its people, using the Earth as a breeding camp in order to rebuild the population of the Saiyan race, although this 'Prince Vegeta' person has expressed doubts on the plan." Roshi pointed to Vegeta, "He wants to become immortal so that he can become capable of defeating a galactic tyrant by the name of 'Frieza,' thus allowing him to rule over the entire universe for all eternity."

The two Saiyans simply looked on dumbfounded before Nappa finally muttered, shuddering with genuine terror, "W-what is this sorcery…?"

"Let's just say that when you've lived as long as I have," Roshi said with a smirk as he tapped his head, "You learn a handful of tricks."

Vegeta looked at him shocked for a moment before chuckling with the return of his bravado, forcibly casting out whatever traces of fear may have been present. "So, this frail old man thought he could intimidate us with his backwater parlor tricks, eh?"

Nappa was still shaken, yet attempted to replicate his leader's confidence. "Y-yeah! L-let's just see how tough you really are, geezer!" Nappa activated the scouter and began surveying the group. "981 for the kid...1,083 for the midget...1,220 for the Namekian...1,136 for the triclops...450 for the small clown...586 for the old geezer...and 1,047 for the womanish one."

"Why does everyone insist on calling me a midget?" Krillin asked with a groan.

"'Womanish?'" Yamcha asked, scowling slightly.

"Jeez...even the toddler's stronger than me," Chiaotzu said with a resigned sigh.

Nappa laughed heartily at their reactions. "You really expected to defeat us with numbers that pitiful?! They'd barely stand up to Raditz!"

"Take off your scouter, Nappa," Vegeta commanded as he threw his own to the floor. "Those readings do not align with those we observed a few moments ago. It's obvious that this slug here has taught the others how to vary their battle power as needed for any given combat situation. Traditional means of measurement are useless."

Nappa nodded in understanding, and unclipped his own scouter from his face. "Yeah, you're right...that's probably what got that weakling Raditz killed. He relied too much on the scouter's numbers, and got caught off guard when that one raised his power level with that last attack."

"'That weakling…?'" Piccolo mused to himself.

"He beats both Piccolo and Goku to a pulp a year ago...and  **he's** the weakling," Yamcha remarked with a nervous chuckle.

"H-hey, w-we're a lot stronger than they were then. W-we got this," Krillin replied, equally nervous.

"Hm..." Vegeta thought aloud for a moment before turning to his aide. "Nappa, it is true that we have six seeds for Saibamen in our allotted stock, correct?"

"Yes, sir! I shall plant them immediately!"

As Nappa knelt down to the ground to plant six seeds and several drops of a mysterious chemical on top of each, Earth's warriors looked on in confusion, which quickly turned to horror as the ground burst forth to reveal six lime green, scaly creatures with pointed ears and dark red eyes. More than anything, it reminded Piccolo of the inherited memory of some of his mutated brothers.

"Ah, there we are," Vegeta stated once they had emerged. "Six Saibamen, and seven warriors. So of the seven, I'll remove...the clown from the lineup." Chiaotzu bristled at the term, but was likewise thankful that he didn't have to fight one of these creatures head on.

Vegeta then turned to the summoned creatures. "Now, I want you all to give everything you have in these bouts. It's important we understand the capabilities of what we are fighting against in pursuit of our objective. Understand?"

"And hey, if you manage to kill any of them, all the better for us to go out and find these Dragon Balls fast!" Nappa added.

The Saibamen nodded mindlessly to the directive Vegeta put forth; automatic obedience was the primary reason these life forms had become such coveted shock troopers within the Frieza Forces. One of the Saibamen stepped forward and readied itself to fight the gang.

" _Watch these guys, everyone,"_ Roshi sent out telepathically. " _The big one's thoughts indicate that these things have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves."_

The others nodded. "I'll fight first," Tien proclaimed, eager to see what his opponents had in store for him.

" _Don't go all out just yet,"_  Roshi cautioned him as he walked.

" _What? But this creature is nothing compared to the power I possess_ ," Tien replied, somewhat snobbishly.

" _You are correct, however I believe it is vital that I observe those two Saiyans first. After these creatures fall, they will be our next opponents."_

Tien stood off against the Saibaman, and began assuming a combat stance.

" _Any particular reason?"_

" _Based on what I've heard about this Raditz fellow, I have...let's call it a hypothesis about these aliens' capabilities."_

" _Alright. Three-fourths of my base power should be more than enough. Let's hope this hypothesis of yours checks out."_ Tien powered up and prepared to strike the scaled creature as it in turn readied itself.

However, its combat stance was quickly broken through by Tien's blow, sending the creature flying backwards. The creature caught itself after a few seconds by firmly planting its feet in the ground to gradually reduce its speed, but by the time it stopped, Tien was already upon it once more. He cracked his knuckles before lunging towards his opponent.

"One!" he shouted as he sent the Saibaman flying along the ground once more, flying alongside it until he ended up almost in front of where it would be in a few seconds. He held both his hands aloft in preparation for the next strike.

"Two!" as he punted the Saibaman into the air, before flying upwards until he was directly above it.

"SPIKE!" he proclaimed as he hit the Saibaman with a powerful karate chop from his left hand, sending it flying into the ground. No sooner had it gotten up on all fours, bruised and considerably weakened, than Tien briefly unleashed his full power and flew rapidly towards the ground as he landed a powerful aerial dive kick on the creature's spine.

With his opponent crippled, Tien simply leapt off the creature's body and pointed a finger at it, preparing to finish it off with a Dodonpa. No sooner had he prepared to do so, however, than Vegeta gestured towards the creature, causing an explosion of ki which blew the dying Saibaman into pieces. Tien stepped back along with the others, stunned by the display of power.

"Vegeta!" Nappa objected. "Why did you-?!"

"It was crippled and useless. There's nothing it could've done against him," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "It would seem I was right not to trust those Scouters."

"So, their power levels really must be nearing two thousand. Every one of those Saibamen is at 1,200. Strong enough to go toe to toe with Raditz."

"Then this one's power must be even greater than his," Vegeta replied before laughing slightly.

Meanwhile, Tien returned to the others' position as they congratulated him over his easy victory. Roshi simply continued looking at the two Saiyans before nodding his head. As they celebrated, Vegeta broke the silence.

"Ah, yes, rather impressive for backwater trash like yourself," Vegeta began. "Based on your movements during the battle, I would estimate your power level to be slightly over 2,000, half of Nappa's own combat strength. I haven't encountered a being of that strength on assignment to D-class worlds like this ever since I began my service in the Frieza Force." He then chuckled with a sarcastic air. "However, if my assumption is right, you are this group's strongest native warrior. I'm afraid your hopes of stopping us were doomed from the start."

Tien looked back at the prince with a determined expression, as did the others, albeit some not as readily.

"But in any event, let us continue this game!" Vegeta said, changing tack. "At this rate, a half an hour or so lost won't matter much if these are the strongest forces your planet can bring to bear against us."

The group hesitated, then nodded.

"I'll go next," Yamcha declared. "I'm the only one left who hasn't been brought back before, and if Piccolo dies, the Dragon Balls will be gone. It's the least risky option. Besides, these things don't look so tough."

Roshi and Tien nodded, while Krillin stepped back a pace. "A-alright, if you say so..." he said, worried for his safety.

"Remember, I said to go all out," Vegeta strictly reminded the creatures standing before him.

The second Saibaman stepped up as Yamcha crouched, ready to unleash the Neo Wolf Fang Fist. In lockstep, the two warriors leapt at each other, ready to strike, before disappearing from sight.

"Th-they're gone!" Gohan cried out in disbelief.

"They're moving at supersonic speeds, idiot! Sense their ki!" Piccolo scolded the child. "Everyone can see them but you!"

Upon obeying his instructions, Gohan could see the two warriors once more. They seemed to be matching blow for blow, but as time went on, Yamcha kept getting singular hits in with his signature technique, and the creature was left staggered. It stepped back and attempted to launch an acid attack from a slit in its cranium, but Yamcha was able to dodge it, leaving the acid to fly towards Nappa and Vegeta, who both effortlessly jumped out of the way before landing slightly to the left of their original position.

"Agh, watch it you idiot!" Vegeta cried out in protest. "You almost ruined my armor!"

"J-just his armor?" Krillin asked nervously, not expecting an answer.

Yamcha and the creature continued to exchange blows before leaping up to opposite cliffs, leaving the others free to converse telepathically.

" _So, have you gathered the information you were looking for?"_ Tien asked.

" _Indeed,"_ Roshi replied. " _Both of these aliens are fearsome, but without the ability to sense ki, they are much like young Gohan was earlier: limited in their perceptive capacity, in spite of their immense power."_

" _I see...you were attempting to observe how they tracked the two of us using only their eyes, weren't you?"_

Roshi nodded slightly.

" _And?"_ Tien pressed.

" _The big one had trouble keeping track of you at full power, although if you tried using Max Power, he'd easily intercept you. The little one...encountered no trouble at all. How strong did you say Piccolo was?"_

" _When I sensed him during training, he was over 50% stronger than I am at the maximum of my base power."_

" _Then he should be able to get the jump on this Nappa fellow. We could use that to our advantage. I think if we-"_

Suddenly their train of thought was interrupted when the Saibaman was sent hurtling into the ground. After another round of combat, Yamcha, having unleashed his maximum base power, had managed to dodge the Saibaman's lunge and strike back with a ki blast, leaving it dazed in a large crater. Yamcha flew down to admire his handiwork.

"See? What'd I tell you guys?" he said with a smirk. "I could probably take the rest of these things on my own."

Nappa and Vegeta merely smirked as something caught Roshi's attention. He peered into Nappa's mind and furrowed his brow in concentration before his eyes widened in surprise. In a panic, he ignored his prior caution about keeping his observations confined to telepathy.

"BOMB!" Roshi shouted out to the group at the top of his lungs, catching Vegeta and Nappa off guard as everyone else panicked.

"What?!" Yamcha cried out, trying to leap away from the crater as the creature's arm twitched. However, he only managed to get a few feet away when the creature leapt out as quickly as it could. With the slight distance he'd put from the crater, the Saibaman could only grab his legs in its claws, but it tightened its grip to compensate. As the claws dug into Yamcha's skin with the intensity of their hold, the Saibaman, weakened from his bout with Yamcha, engaged its self destruct technique to the best of its ability.

As the influx of ki caused it to glow with yellow light, Chiaotzu held both of his palms open and reached out towards the Saibaman's ki signature as fast and hard as he could. No sooner was the Saibaman about to explode when his hands became enveloped by a blue glow. Chiaotzu strained with all of his power to loosen the Saibaman's grip, leaving the Saibaman off guard long enough for Yamcha to power back up to full strength, get behind it, and kick it in the direction of Nappa and Vegeta. Just as the Saiyan warriors leapt away, the creature detonated ahead of them, the recoil of the explosion sending Yamcha flying backwards and into the ground slightly behind the other fighters. With a pained grunt, Yamcha shakily got back up, stumbling slightly before recovering his footing and breathing heavily.

"Hah...guess I...hah...underestimated it," he said weakly.

"This is bad!" Krillin said. "If they have more tricks like that up their sleeves, they might take out Gohan and Master Roshi! And if he dies again..."

"We all know the stakes, Krillin," Tien replied. "But Goku still hasn't arrived, and I'm not certain any of us stand a chance against that Vegeta character."

"I-If I had enough time to charge up, I could-" Krillin began before being cut off by Roshi.

"Tien's right. As frightening as these things are, I sense that they've showed us the extent of their abilities."

"I'm afraid the geezer's right," a familiar voice responded as it touched back down to Earth along with a larger obscured figure. "Our minions don't have any new tricks to show you, and now that the element of surprise is gone," Vegeta said, pausing for dramatic effect, "The game has lost a good deal of its luster."

Earth's warriors merely readied themselves for Vegeta's next move, with even Piccolo losing some of his bravado.

"However..." Vegeta began, "These bouts have been rather informative, so I shall allow them to continue."

The gang were taken aback by this course of action, and began conversing once more.

"A-are you guys sure we can keep doing this?" Krillin asked timidly.

"Between me and Tien, we should be able to bail out Gohan and Master Roshi if need be," Yamcha replied, some of his strength returning.

" _I'll be fine,"_ Roshi communicated, to Krillin's surprise.

"Uh, with all due respect, master, I don't know if you're strong enough to take one of those things on."

Roshi simply chuckled. " _You should know by now that strength isn't everything. Now, don't you have a creature to fight?"_

Krillin was still unsure, yet nodded in resolution and began to walk forward.

" _Remember, Krillin, don't use up any more energy than you absolutely have to to stay safe,"_ Tien cautioned. " _We need to buy as much time as possible for Goku to get here_."

Krillin turned back and nodded again, then continued walking forward until he was about ten paces away from one of the Saibamen, who decided to move up under the assumption the game was still progressing.

"Alright, you scaly slime ball! Come at me!" Krillin said, attempting to sound confident.

Nappa, meanwhile, voiced his concerns.

"My lord, even if some of them aren't strong enough to fight the Saibamen, their buddies could just come in and save them. What's the point of continuing this?"

"Somehow I doubt that-they didn't interfere in the last two bouts. They know as well as we do: every move that each of them makes drains their energy that much faster. Plus, even if we barred the creatures from fighting, one of these warriors would probably just kill them all anyway."

"Still, they could've been useful in establishing control," Nappa argued.

"Meh. Assuming we even bother with this planet to begin with, all their absence means is slightly more work for you once these weaklings are dead. Not much of a loss."

"Very well," Nappa replied. "I suppose any excuse to watch these morons struggle is a good excuse."

"Exactly!" Vegeta said with a laugh. "Nothing tastes sweeter than giving your adversary false hope before ruthlessly tearing them apart and crushing their dreams into nothingness. Oh, but don't worry, Nappa, you won't merely be watching..."

Krillin gulped nervously, but assumed a combat stance. The third Saibaman did the same, but before either could move, Vegeta called for the creature to stop fighting.

"Not so fast! We're going to be changing the rules of this game somewhat," Vegeta said with a sinister grin as he looked towards the others.

Nappa grinned widely as well, understanding his master's intentions.

"Based on the power demonstrated by the triclops and the other one, it is clear that having one of our creatures fight the Namekian would be a waste of time. He is likely a fair bit beyond all of you in terms of power. Therefore, I shall deploy a more...meaningful metric, and save the Saibaman for the clown child. Saibamen-attack each of your selected opponents all at once! If any of the Earthlings interfere, feel free to attack the rest! Nappa...if you will?"

Nappa laughed merrily, excited by the prospect of a good fight.

"Gladly!"

* * *

The group looked on as the Saiyan brute assumed a combat stance and gathered his power, an act which caused the nearby area itself to shake violently at its sheer enormity. As the others expressed their shock, Nappa began flying forward at breakneck speeds in order to charge Piccolo, with no concern for the other warriors he was about to run into.

Krillin and the Saibaman leapt out of the way, while Piccolo took off to confront him halfway, meeting Nappa's waiting punch with a kick of such strength that their collision produced a shockwave which sent Chiaotzu flying backwards. The two rose up into the air as they traded blow after blow, leaving the other warriors stunned at Piccolo's sheer power.

However, the remaining three Saibamen quickly turned their focus back towards the fight at hand. With Chiaotzu winded, his opponent cackled in its animalistic way before leaping towards him. Roshi powered up to 50% Max Power and engaged the creature assigned to him, put onto the defensive by its superior power but managing to dodge every strike. Gohan, meanwhile, was completely caught off guard and frantically leapt out of the way of the first few attacks by his opponent. Just as he wound up cornered by the Saibaman, a Spirit Ball emerged from the ground and hit the Saibaman right in its midsection, sending it flying upwards. Yamcha stood a good ten meters away, right hand outstretched and proud at the effectiveness of his technique.

"Try to blow  **me** up, huh, you scaly freaks?! Well, how about  **this**!" he shouted. "Spirit Ball...BURST!" he cried out as he closed his hand into a fist. The sphere began to constrict and glow even brighter before it reached a critical point and detonated, completely enveloping the Saibaman. Yamcha fell to his knees in exhaustion, causing Gohan to run towards him in concern.

"Mr. Yamcha! Are you okay?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. This battle's just taken a lot out of me is all." He got up, albeit shakily, and surveyed the situation, taking a step back in shock as he noticed the third Saibaman heading towards Chiaotzu, but sighed in relief when Tien intercepted it with a Dodonpa, fatally wounding the creature and causing it to fly off into the distance. That crisis averted, he then looked towards the other two battles in progress, then to Vegeta, who was observing the pitched battle with amusement from the skies above, and stood resolutely.

"I imagine Shorty over there won't be happy we broke his rules," Yamcha mused. "Master Roshi seems to be holding his own, but who knows how long that will last? Kid, you go over there and lend him a hand! I've got an idea of how to deal with that big brute up there."

"W-wait, but if that thing's giving my dad's master trouble-!" Gohan began nervously.

"You'll be fine! Piccolo trained you, right? You're almost as strong as Master Roshi already!" Yamcha said with his trademark winning smile, which improved Gohan's confidence somewhat. He nodded with some reluctance, and set out towards Roshi and his opponent while Yamcha breathed deeply and prepared to enact a plan of his own.

* * *

Elsewhere, after recovering from the shockwave, Chiaotzu extended his palms towards Nappa, hoping to at least stun him long enough for Piccolo to get a hit in. However, even with all of his strength, the best he could manage was to slightly slow down Nappa's punches. Nappa looked down at his fists in confusion, which left him vulnerable to a kick from Piccolo. As Nappa flew backwards, Piccolo charged up a hasty Special Beam Cannon and fired it at the Saiyan, but Nappa was able to recover and deflect the beam with his hand, leaving a clear burn mark upon it.

"Agh!" he cried out in pain as the beam collided. "Hnnng! So...this is the technique that killed Raditz, huh?" He then flew back towards Piccolo and resumed his assault. "Not bad! You've got a lot of power, Namekian! You're actually making me try here!" Piccolo attempted to land a punch on Nappa's face, but Nappa narrowly dodged and hit him in the forehead with a powerful punch, sending him crashing into a cliff. "But it's gonna take a lot more than that to take me down!" He shouted out with a laugh of pure euphoria.

Meanwhile, Krillin and the Saibaman were still exchanging blows on a nearby mountain, Krillin doing his best to conserve energy. As the Saibaman began to tire, it launched an acid attack in desperation, which Krillin managed to dodge before punching it in the stomach and sending it hurtling towards the Earth with a ki blast. Before it could get up, Krillin flew down and landed another powerful hit to the back of its neck, killing it instantly. Krillin breathed heavily before looking up at the cliff where Piccolo had landed. He noticed Piccolo emerging from the remains of the cliff, only to be crushed further into the ground by a divekick from Nappa into his stomach.

As Piccolo lay on his back, winded, Nappa was about to charge up a ki blast, but reined himself in after he remembered Yamcha's earlier statement about the Dragon Balls. Instead, he simply punched the Namekian with all of his strength, knocking him out, before sighing in satisfaction.  _Well...now that those brats broke the rules..._ he thought evilly before he powered up once more. Nappa smiled at the prospect of additional carnage, and turned towards the fallen Namekian. "You sit tight, pal," Nappa said snarkily. "I'll be back for you later." He then began eyeing the crowd in order to choose his first target.

Yamcha, his plan decided upon, began powering up, gathering all of his ki and redirecting it into his own body in order to increase his muscle mass. After months of training, the warriors on the Lookout had decreased the charge time of this Max Power technique, taught to them by Master Roshi, to a matter of seconds, and increased its potency to a 25% power increase. However, when the technique is used, the expansion in mass causes a 50% decrease in their base form speed and mobility, making close quarters combat difficult.

After Yamcha had completed his transformation, Krillin looked to him and followed suit as Vegeta looked on, fascinated.  _Only a few species I know of are capable of increasing their mass to such a degree, and there was no documentation that these humans could do it_. He decided to observe and see just how much power this ability granted the two. So distracted was he that he failed to observe Roshi continuing to fight the Saibaman before Gohan ran up and kicked it in the face, sending it flying. Roshi looked on, stunned at the immense power of someone so young.

"Heh...you're Goku's kid, alright," he quipped as he dusted himself off. However, the Saibaman was soon back up once more, and began to rush them.

"Ah, it's coming back!" Gohan cried out in panic, hurriedly assuming a fighting stance.

"Don't worry! Follow my lead!" Roshi replied as he cupped his hands together and began to increase in size. Gohan did the same with his hands and began focusing ki just like how Piccolo had taught him to do. As Roshi calmly charged his attack and entered into his Max Power form, Gohan endeavored to do the same only two seconds behind Roshi.

"Ka...me...ha...me..." The two paused briefly as the Saibaman grew ever closer, causing Gohan to panic and almost lose the sphere of ki before regaining control. When the Saibaman was directly upon them, Gohan could hear a voice in his head cry out, " _Now!"_ With that, the two launched their attack simultaneously.

"HAAA!" They screamed as two blue streams of condensed ki exited their hands in a mighty burst directly in front of the creature, blowing off his upper body in a fierce explosion of energy as it was gradually disintegrated, leaving only a torso lying awkwardly on the ground a few feet away from Gohan's face. As Gohan stared wide eyed at the remains of the creature, unaware of the power he'd truly possessed until that moment, Roshi powered down and fell onto the ground, gasping for breath. Gohan laid a hand on his shoulder before Roshi waved him off.

"Don't worry about me," he said in between coughs. "There are bigger fish to fry."

"But, Master Roshi, sir, that blast took everything I had," Gohan replied. "What can I do?"

Roshi smiled with the air of experience. "Trust me, kid, you've got a lot more potential stored inside of you than you realize. Now go!"

After another look, Gohan nodded and flew upwards, intent on lying in wait for the right time to strike Nappa. Roshi looked on with another smile, but wondered if perhaps he should've told Gohan to run away instead. He concluded that it would make no difference, and looked up to observe the others as their bouts also concluded. In particular, he noticed Tien and Chiaotzu together in the air, lying in wait, while Yamcha was standing ready with Max Power.  _What is he hoping to-?_ Roshi began when Yamcha looked off at Tien and angled his head slightly.

Tien got the message, and began to charge at the brutish Saiyan while Chiaotzu endeavored to hold him in place to the best of his ability. Once more, Nappa met this new threat, and was once more perplexed at why his hands were kept from moving fully. Even handicapped in this manner, Nappa was able to easily repel Tien's assault and send him flying backwards into Chiaotzu with a punch, but this was merely a distraction to allow Yamcha to fly up and punch him in the gut with all of his power, leaving the warrior somewhat winded. Yamcha then attempted to use his Neo Wolf Fang Fist on Nappa, but Nappa managed to block every hit before grabbing his shoulders and kneeing him in the ribs. Before anyone could do anything, a single palm strike from Nappa cleaved through Yamcha's right arm like a knife, severing it at the elbow and leaving him in agony as it fell to earth. Nappa then launched a downward kick at Yamcha which sent him flying into a mountain.

"Mr. Yamcha!" Gohan cried out as he flew off to assess his condition. Meanwhile, Krillin, also having powered up fully, flew up from behind Nappa and managed to land a powerful roundhouse kick, sending him crashing into the ground. Before Nappa could recover, Krillin concentrated all of his ki into a yellow sphere of energy in his hands, which he then launched outwards as a powerful beam.

"Max Power Scatter Bullet!" he cried out as the beam split into six different streaks of energy, three of which angled towards Nappa's crater and three of which angled towards Vegeta. Nappa looked up to see the bright lights coming to meet him and hurriedly braced himself for the impact, while Vegeta simply looked on bemused as he was completely enveloped. However, even as the smoke cleared, the fighters could tell that the Saiyans' ki was still there. Thus, Tien readied himself to re-engage Nappa before turning to Chiaotzu, floating right next to him while Krillin stayed some distance behind.

"Chiaotzu! You need to get out of here now! These aliens are too strong for you!" he bellowed, but Chiaotzu shook his head stubbornly.

"And for  **you**!" Chiaotzu countered. "I'm not going to just leave you here! I could never!"

"Listen:  **I** can come back!  **You**  cannot! Now get out of here before he-!"

No sooner did Tien speak than a powerful ki blast emerged from the crater where Nappa lay, one which left Chiaotzu with only barely enough time to throw Tien as far away as he could with his telekinetic powers. Tien realized what was happening and hurriedly flew back to try and save Chiaotzu, but by then the beam had already arrived upon its intended course.

"CHIAOTZU!" he cried out in anguish. Chiaotzu simply smiled, content that he'd managed to save his best friend, before the blast disintegrated him completely.

As Tien was left to mourn the loss, still trying to process the reality that his closest friend was dead forever, Nappa emerged from the remains of the rock formation he crashed into, covered in light burn marks and breathing heavily, his armor torn in a number of places. He slowly flew upwards in order to meet Krillin and Tien, his ki diminished due to the damage he'd received from Krillin's powerful attack. He smiled with the barely restrained fury of an animal on the hunt in spite of his injuries, and posed his most burning question both simply and eagerly.

"So...hah...who's...next?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And at last, Fight Time has commenced! ...And it only took almost two months.
> 
> My apologies to those looking for intense action right out the gate, but for those of you who were kind and patient enough to wait, I hope that my action writing is to your liking. Admittedly, not quite used to it compared to writing dialogue, but I was trying to capture the feel of Dragon Ball's action sequences the best that I could. Whether or not that worked, well, that's up to your own interpretation.
> 
> Anyway, I gotta say, the longer I worked on the outline and writing for this What If fic, the more I was surprised by how much was changed just by Roshi's inclusion, even though he isn't that powerful a fighter. Particularly the fun that could be had with his telepathic powers as far as planning out strategy and discovering enemy tactics went. Definitely liking writing a fic that features a character who doesn't rely solely on physical power or even fighting prowess to gain an advantage over their opponents.
> 
> As always, please be sure to leave comments on the work and let me know what you think. I'm aware that I'm hardly perfect writing fics like this, and greatly appreciate the feedback you guys provide. With all that said, I hope you all have a fantastic day, and take care.


	6. The Elite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earth's warriors find themselves locked in a losing battle against the Saiyan invaders. However, they've still got a few tricks up their sleeves yet. Will they find a way to take down the brutish Nappa, or will they perish in the attempt?

Gohan had used rudimentary ki blasts to blow apart most of the rocks that Yamcha was trapped under, with a corresponding blast from Yamcha's remaining arm taking care of the rest and allowing him to be pulled out, coughing and bleeding profusely. He mumbled something Gohan couldn't quite make out, before he attempted to stand up.

"Mr. Yamcha, you couldn't possibly keep fighting like that!" Gohan insisted, pushing him back down to the ground gently. The fact that his resistance buckled under Gohan's own strength only made him even more nervous.

"Have to...get to..."

"Young Gohan's right, Yamcha," a familiar voice stated plainly-his old master Roshi, having made his way across the plains to their position. "Your ki is dropping rapidly, you're down an arm and bleeding profusely, and to top it off, both of these Saiyans are stronger than even your absolute maximum. Exerting energy in this manner is only going to kill you faster. Now, hold still." He placed a hand on his right shoulder, diverting Yamcha's attention towards it until he sensed a slight build up of ki in his other hand.

"W-what are you-?" he began before a sudden burning sensation caused him to cry out in pain. He looked down to see Roshi carefully manipulating a burst of ki with the precise power and control needed to crudely cauterize the gaping hole where his arm used to be. After about twenty seconds, the process was complete, and Yamcha fell flat to the ground, drawing a handful of shuddered breaths before finally stabilizing.

"There. That should at least keep you alive a fair bit longer," Roshi remarked.

"For whatever use that is," Yamcha replied cynically, still wincing from the earlier pain.

"Do you have a plan, Master?" Gohan asked. Roshi pondered this for a moment.

" _Yes, Nappa's energy has definitely diminished after Krillin's attack, but it's unlikely anyone but Piccolo can stand up to him still. Plus..."_ he thought, pausing as debris thrown up by the other strands of Krillin's attack cleared to reveal the Saiyan prince, looking rather annoyed about the slight burn marks on his armor, " _The Prince is still kicking. I may have to resort to my ace in the hole, but not until this Nappa character has been dealt with. Until then, best not to waste any energy."_

"Yeah," he said, glancing up towards the sky where Tien and Krillin laid suspended in the air, waiting for their opponent to make a move. "I think I've got something."

* * *

Meanwhile, Krillin and Tien both floated trembling before the Saiyan berserker, one out of fear and the other out of seething fury. Nappa, meanwhile, laughed heartily at the pair of them.

"Aw, are neither of you going to step forward? Alright-I'll choose," he finished ominously before he powered up as much as he could. Krillin noted that his energy had diminished after his attack, meaning that a more powerful attack from the likes of Tien or Piccolo might be able to do the job better than he could. He didn't have too much time to note anything else, as Nappa was already busying himself trying to break his skull.

Fortunately for Krillin, Yamcha's earlier fate had reminded him of the danger of engaging an enemy handicapped by Max Power's speed decrease, and thus he endeavored instead to dodge using the maximum of his base power, narrowly avoiding Nappa's casual strikes with the help of his own size. However, he knew he couldn't keep dodging forever, and he eventually landed a weak, but effective ki blast right to Nappa's face, stunning him for the brief second he needed to get over him and enact a daring plan. He hurriedly felt around Nappa's "belt" for the tip of his tail, and clamped down upon it with all of his strength even as Master Roshi's telepathic warning rang clearly through his head.

" _Huh...that's weird...his energy doesn't seem to have decrea-oh, crapbaskets!"_ he thought as he found himself being grabbed by the legs and swung around by the Saiyan brute, spinning for three rotations before finally being thrown towards the ground. He managed to break into a roll at the last possible instant, causing him to hit the ground only slightly less hard than he would have otherwise. After a long and painful series of smaller collisions, he finally came to a rest right besides Roshi and the others, his pain receptors screaming throughout his body.

"I was trying to tell you that they had already trained their tails," Roshi said, pulling Krillin up. "At least, according to Vegeta's thoughts."

"Great...just like Goku had way back when. Should've figured," Krillin replied.

"You saw few options remaining and took the most sensible course of action based on your own experience. Hardly a foolhardy strategy," Roshi consoled him. "Unfortunately, you staying so close to him as long as you did meant we didn't get quite the opening we were looking for."

"Let me guess-somebody knocks him around while attacking somebody else so that you guys can give him your best shot while he's disoriented?"

"Something like that. Willing to help us out?"

Krillin's side seemed to howl at the verbal suggestion, as if it were a separate creature objecting to mistreatment.

"Willing? No. Able? Sure," he replied honestly.

* * *

"Ha! I'll give the little runt credit for some slight ingenuity, but surely he must've realized the training we've undergone compared to that weakling Raditz," Nappa said with a smirk. "Still, had some decent power, I suppose."

After mulling over this for a second, he glanced back up at Tien, who was still trembling with rage as a series of images flashed through his mind...

* * *

" _Well, Tien Shinhan, I'm happy to report that you will no longer be alone in your training," Shen, the Crane Hermit, said in one of his rare moments of genuine pleasure._

" _Is that so?" he replied._

" _Yes. Now, meet your new sparring partner-Chiaotzu."_

_As he spoke, a small clown-like figure stepped forward, his hand outstretched. Tien reluctantly bent down and grasped it in a firm handshake, noticing too late the small joy-buzzer concealed in the child's palm. Although the shock was mild, it nevertheless stung Tien a fair amount, who proceeded to grab the joy-buzzer and was about to crush it. Up until that point, Chiaotzu had been laughing merrily, but after noticing the device was missing, he stopped laughing and put his hands out, palms open. Suddenly, the device became enveloped in a light blue glow, and it rapidly flew towards his right hand, where he promptly grabbed it back._

" _W-what the-?"_

" _Yes, this child appears to have extraordinary telekinetic potential. I've never seen anything quite like it," his master remarked. "Although, evidently, some_ discipline  _will be required before he can be truly useful." Chiaotzu merely smiled cheekily. "Well, I'll leave you two to get acquainted."_

_With that, he set off, leaving Tien alone with the strange creature, still giggling slightly. He grimaced. Life under the Crane Hermit just got significantly more annoying._

* * *

_In this world, taxi drivers are accustomed to a wide variety of oddities. But one thing that this taxi driver was not expecting even on the day of the Tenkaichi Budokai was an aging old crone accompanied by a bald guy with three eyes and a floating vampire kid. Nevertheless, he wisely said nothing about their appearance._

" _You know, we could've just flown," Tien remarked._

" _Nonsense. You need to save all of your energy for the bouts ahead, where you crush those annoying disciples of Roshi's and claim your destiny!" his master replied. "Now be quiet!"_

" _Alright."_

_The three sat in silence for a while before Chiaotzu's voice rang through his head._

"Hey, Tien...are you sure we're ready for this?"

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I mean, these two disciples of that turtle guy went up to the quarter finals and final of the last tournament. And the power they were said to have been putting out was insane."

"Relax. Between your powers and my sheer strength, we shall crush all of Master Shen's enemies under our feet."

"...Right..."  _Chiaotzu became slightly more somber, but before Tien could investigate this further, the cab came to a stop and Shen grumpily beckoned them to exit the car. The most fateful day of their lives was about to begin._

* * *

_The two were on a featureless plain, having seen their master's rival Muten Roshi fail to seal the fearsome King Piccolo. As the seven Dragon Balls were placed together and the Eternal Dragon appeared, Tien watched helplessly, his muscles paralyzed by some strange tonic, while Chiaotzu hid behind a nearby rock._

" _I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON. STATE YOUR WISH AND I SHALL GRANT IT."_

" _Come on, Chiaotzu," he muttered. "Quickly!"_

_No sooner had he said this than Chiaotzu burst out of the rocks just as King Piccolo was about to make his wish._

" _WE WISH TO DESTROY THE DEMON KING PICCOL-AGH!" Chiaotzu gasped as his body was incinerated by a ki blast from the Demon King._

" _Tch! Seems like I missed one," he muttered before turning back towards the Dragon while Tien looked on in anger over his friend's death._

" _Dragon! Restore me to the prime of my youth!" he commanded. Once the process was complete, and the Dragon later extinguished by King Piccolo's attack, his forces departed, leaving Tien lost and confused as he lay on the ground, powerless to do anything of use. It was then that he swore with every fiber of his being a solemn vow which he nearly took to his grave: he would not rest until the Demon King was dead._

* * *

" _I'M HOOOME!" Good Launch announced, beaming with pride as she carefully brought a large box onto the kitchen table of Tien and Chiaotzu's humble cottage._

" _Hi, Miss Launch!" Chiaotzu said with a smile, to which Launch replied in kind._

" _Hm. What's all this?" Tien remarked idly, having taken a break from his training session with Chiaotzu._

" _Okay, so I'm not entirely sure how I got to be in downtown Parsley, but I was just about to head out of there on my bike when I noticed a bunch of boxes being loaded into a dumpster near the local public library. I went over and asked about it, and they said they were throwing out all of these old textbooks sent in by the schools that they didn't have a use for."_

" _Okay..."_

" _Well, I remembered you telling me the story of Chiaotzu's fight with Krillin, and it got me thinking: I never got much formal schooling growing up, and evidently Chiaotzu hasn't, either, so..." she said as she opened the box to reveal a large collection of math, English, history, and science textbooks, "Perhaps we can learn a few things together?"_

_Tien smiled slightly as Chiaotzu's face lit up at the prospect. "Aww, cool! I always wanted to learn some more of that math stuff!"_

_Hours later, as Tien finished his evening meditation and had a quick bite from what food they had in the fridge, he noticed Chiaotzu and Good Launch sleeping soundly on the couch, the elementary school math textbook Launch had picked up still left open to the middle of the third unit. Evidently, progress on Chiaotzu's part had been slow, but enjoyable. He thought about picking them up and moving them to their rooms on the second floor of the cottage, but ultimately decided to leave them where they were. He took out a leaf from a nearby tree and left it as a bookmark on the textbook, before silently creeping up the stairs towards his room and turning out the lights._

* * *

"You...cold...heartless... **bastard**...!" he muttered between clenched teeth.

"What's wrong, triclops? You mad that I killed your friend?" He laughed slightly before knocking Tien down towards the ground with a powerful kick. "Well, don't worry-you'll join him soon enough!" he said with a sneer.

He then noticed Yamcha, Krillin, and the others standing together, obviously preparing for something. "Huh. Surprised the idiots are still alive. Well, guess I better finish them off so that we can hurry up and interrogate that Namekian." Just as he was about to launch a powerful ki blast towards the ground, however, Tien, having bulked up with Max Power, kicked off of the ground, sending a shockwave which caused Nappa to lose his focus and misfire. He grimaced slightly as he turned to face the threat.

Nappa chuckled. "Still up, huh? Man, these gnats just refuse to die..."

Suddenly, however, Tien put both of his hands to his face mid-flight, spreading out his fingers so they appeared to be two halves of the typical primitive sun drawing. The others instinctively screwed their eyes shut as Vegeta looked on, confused.

"SOLAR FLARE!" Tien shouted out, calling forth a blinding light which covered the entire area. Nappa, being the closest to Tien, howled in pain as his vision became obscured by light. Vegeta likewise grimaced and screwed his eyes shut in an attempt to minimize the pain. Nappa instinctively drew his hands towards his eyes to shield them, but quickly discovered his error when Tien landed a powerful punch to his stomach, winding the mighty Saiyan as bits of his armor continued to peel off.

Deciding to forego his eyesight in favor of using his other senses, Nappa was able to hear the whoosh of air as Tien attempted to land another hit, and caught his right arm in his left fist. As he gradually overpowered the warrior's defenses and began to collapse part of his wrist bone, however, Nappa suddenly felt a burning sensation on his back as more pieces of his armor were blasted away. He turned around and launched a hasty ki blast at the second assailant, but Piccolo managed to dodge the blast at the last second, grimacing slightly as his earlier injuries continued to nag him.

Too late did Nappa realize that his lapse in concentration had caused him to relax his grip on Tien's wrist, and before he could turn and strike back, Tien had already flown above him and sent him flying into the ground with a powerful blow to the back of his head.

_Damn! He flew too fast for us to hit him!_ Roshi thought as Nappa slowly pushed himself up off of his back while his companion was still stunned. Although his vision was still covered in yellow spots, he could dimly see Tien floating above him, still in his Max Power form and having arranged his hands into a triangular shape around his chest. The Saiyan continued to try and get up, but found himself too dazed to do so successfully.

Roshi, recognizing the technique and beginning to sense the warrior's ki already starting to degrade slightly, hurriedly linked his mind with Tien's.

" _Tien! Stop this! Your body is under enough strain as it is!"_

" _..."_

" _The Kikoho feeds off of the user's own life force! It shortens their lives! The effect will only get worse in the Max Power state along with your injuries! You_ can't  _do this! You'll die! Do you hear me?!_ Die _!"_

Tien couldn't stop himself from choking up as he heard the old man's words in his mind and formulated his response.

" _I just did."_

This time Roshi was stunned into silence.

" _Tell Krillin and Yamcha to look after Launch,"_ Tien continued. " _Tell her...I'm sorry. For breaking our promise."_

Before Roshi and the others could cry out, the glow of energy between Tien's hands grew ever greater, and the young warrior's eyes looked down at Nappa, still dazed and only barely managing to stand, with a mixture of anger and resolution. He readied himself and gathered his energy before shouting out three fateful words.

"MAX POWER...KIKOHO!"

As a massive ki blast left from Tien's hands and rapidly expanded, Nappa, perhaps realizing something of the technique's immense power, attempted to charge up a Break Cannon. Only when the blast was seconds away from hitting him did he manage to successfully fire his own attack, holding the ki blast at bay for a time. Seeing the opportunity, Krillin attempted to fire a Kamehameha towards Nappa's position, but found it quickly deflected by Vegeta once the latter's vision returned. He then vanished for a few seconds before appearing directly in front of the other warriors. In his right hand he held Piccolo by the collar of his gi.

"I have no desire to interfere in your companion's efforts to overpower my associate," he began calmly, yet with an air of menace. "As a Saiyan, he must be expected to successfully combat weaklings such as yourselves. Should he fail, then he was obviously weaker than I had initially thought. However, as a result, I cannot allow his own power to be compromised either." He then tossed Piccolo onto the ground, coughing as a result of his injuries. "Let this one serve as a warning to you: do. Not. Interfere."

With no chance of getting past Vegeta, the others could merely look on as Nappa poured as much of his ki as possible into the Break Cannon and only just managed to push the Kikoho blast upwards slightly, bit by bit. But, as Roshi knew and Vegeta realized upon glancing at the triclops above, who had just fired a second blast of almost equal intensity to the first, the end result of the struggle between their respective techniques was essentially decided before it began, by one simple factor:

One warrior had staked their life on the struggle to defeat the other. The other warrior? He did no such thing.

And thus, as the second Kikoho crashed into the first and overpowered Nappa's ultimate technique, the Saiyan warrior was left contemplating the choices that had brought him to this moment, stewing in anger at the thought that a backwater creature like this triclops would be the one to end the life of Nappa, the last member of his noble lineage. He stubbornly continued to fire the Break Cannon even as he became enveloped in an explosion of yellow ki, one last act of defiance before the world faded to black.

* * *

Vegeta looked on at the massive crater where his associate had once been standing-a bottomless rectangular prism of melted rock, air still superheated from the earlier explosion. He looked up towards the warrior who ended his subject's life just as his eyes glazed over, and he began to hurtle towards the ground at high speed only to be caught by Krillin mere meters in the air. He smirked. " _Well...at least the wretch paid for this insult with his life_." He then calmly strolled up to the other warriors as Krillin touched down and gently laid Tien onto the ground. Upon casting a sideways glance towards the crater and spotting Vegeta, Krillin panicked and almost tripped over Tien's body before stopping himself. Gohan and Yamcha were glued to the spot, while Roshi and Piccolo simply grimaced, with slight beads of sweat forming along their brows.

"Is he dead?" Vegeta asked calmly.

Roshi knelt besides Tien and calmly placed two fingers along the back of his neck, searching for a vein while also sensing for traces of ki.

"Not quite," Roshi replied grimly before turning to Vegeta with a scowl, "But getting there."

"Well, I suppose I'll take that consolation, rather than waste the energy finishing him," the prince replied sardonically before scowling. "The insult of a lower creature being powerful enough to kill a Saiyan elite deserves no lesser punishment than a slow death."

The others braced themselves for whatever move Vegeta was likely to make next, but for a moment no such movement came. The prince simply stood there, sizing up each of the warriors in turn.

"Hm...you said that the Namekian must remain alive if I am to get my wish on your Dragon Balls, correct?" Vegeta asked Yamcha, to which he nervously nodded in reply. "Alright then. I imagine he won't be too much of an annoyance while I kill the rest of you." With that, he grinned evilly and took a step towards the group, too terrified or else resigned to the inevitable to do much of anything. Piccolo stood apart from them and off to Vegeta's side, scowling in anger.

" _First that Nappa fool bests me in combat...and now this prince acts like I'm little more than a gnat?!_ No!  _I will_ not  _stand for this!"_

Vegeta took another step forward as Piccolo drew two fingers to his forehead, gathering energy in order to fire an enhanced Special Beam Cannon. As the ground shook with the sheer intensity of his attack, the others gaped in astonishment at the enormity of Piccolo's full power. Veins began bulging all throughout Piccolo's body as he continued to gather energy. However, in spite of the noise given off as the attack continued to charge, Vegeta seemed to be ignoring it.

" _Hm...so should I start with the stronger ones, or the weaker ones? The stronger ones may present more amusement, but on the other hand, killing the weaker ones will be marginally easier. I mean, sure, I could just kill them all in one blast and be done with it, but I'm not going to get any of them to despair for their lives and the fate of their pathetic world like that. Plus, I doubt that narcissistic Namekian over there is the despairing type. Hm...what to do...?"_

Roshi began probing the Prince's thoughts once more, and came to the conclusion that the others, too distracted by Piccolo's strength, had not taken the time to reach. Meanwhile, Piccolo grinned evilly as his technique reached its apex.

" _Piccolo, enough! You can sense the Prince's energy as well as I can! It's not going to work on-!"_

" _Shut...up. You foolish...old man_ ," Piccolo's thoughts ran, jumbled as he prepared to launch his attack. " _I..."_

"I AM THE DEMON KING PICCOLO!" the Namekian shouted at the top of his lungs as he fired his attack. "NOW  **DIE**!"

The spinning vortex barreled towards Vegeta like a speeding bullet, tearing up the grass it flew over in its wake as air began to heat around it. Krillin was the only one who could even follow the beam, with difficulty. Seconds before impact, Vegeta glanced to the side, finally perceiving the noise he'd been hearing the whole time to be of at least some concern, and rapidly thrust his right hand forward in order to swat the beam away from him and towards a nearby mountain. The beam cleaved through the rock as if it were a pair of scissors through paper, coming clean out of the other side of it and continuing for miles until it was out of the warriors' sight. Vegeta examined his right hand as the others, Piccolo included, looked on in horror. With a slight grunt, he lifted up his hand and spread out his fingers before moving it back downwards. The group could hear the slight crack of bones being set back into place.

"'Demon King,' huh?" Vegeta asked Piccolo. Before he could even reply, Vegeta vanished before appearing right in front of him, his hands clenched around both of his arms. "Quite a dramatic name," he added sarcastically. Piccolo grunted in pain as he felt some of the tendons in his arms being torn apart.

"So, tell me, as an evident fan of the dramatic..." Vegeta began with a sinister smile as he finally ripped both of the Namekian's arms clean off with a slight grunt of exertion, "How does 'King Vegeta' sound?" A mere second later, Vegeta kicked Piccolo in the stomach, sending him tumbling across the ground before finally coming to a stop against a rock face.

"Tch! Pathetic," Piccolo could hear Vegeta mutter as both the pain of bleeding and, a moment later, the pain of regenerating, began to cloud his senses.

Meanwhile, Vegeta began walking back towards the rest of the group. "So...seems like strongest go first," he said, cracking his knuckles as he looked at Krillin.

Krillin began sweating profusely as the figure slowly made his way towards him. Eventually, he couldn't contain his fear any longer.

"GOKU, PLEASE! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he cried out at the top of his lungs, punctuating the end of it with a terrified sob as the Prince walked ever closer. However, at the mention of Goku, Vegeta stopped in his tracks, surprised.

"'Goku'...that's the third time you have used that name," he mused. "I wonder..."

"He is," Roshi replied, causing Vegeta to jump slightly before regaining his composure.

"Ah, right-your little parlor trick. So this 'Goku' person really is Kakarot?"

Roshi nodded.

"Back from the dead...truly marvelous objects, these Dragon Balls."

"N-not only that, he's g-gotten way stronger, too!" Krillin asserted. "Stronger than all of us combined! He'll b-beat you into the ground!"

Vegeta simply smirked. "Is that so? Well, I suppose that's worth a slight amount of leeway." As the others looked on in confusion, Vegeta elaborated. "I'll give Kakarot three hours to show up. If he isn't here by then, I'll kill all of you except for the Namekian and the hybrid child. Between the two of them, I should be able to extract the information I require." With that, Vegeta put his scouter on before vanishing. When he returned, a giant log was slung over his shoulder, which he quickly threw to the ground before sitting down. The other warriors looked to each other before discussing their plans.

"Oh my God what the hell are we going to do I mean this is completely insane we're going to die-!" Krillin began, panicking, before Roshi slapped him.

"Focus, Krillin! What's important is that we get Tien out of here! He doesn't have much time left!"

"But Korin's tower is too far away!" Krillin shot back. "Plus, I don't even know if he has any Senzu beans!"

"Don't worry," Yamcha replied, managing to pick up Tien and throw him over his shoulder with his one good arm. "I'll get him to the nearest hospital. 'Bout all I'm good for at this point..."

The others simply nodded. "Stay safe, Mr. Yamcha," Gohan said.

"We wouldn't have lasted this long without you," Roshi added consolingly, brightening Yamcha's spirits somewhat. He took off into the air, maintaining a close grip on Tien as he flew the pair of them as fast as he could under the circumstances.

When nobody could see him any longer, Piccolo, his head having cleared, walked over to them. "So, any cowards looking to abandon ship?"

Gohan and Roshi shook their heads. Krillin hesitated for a second, but ultimately found courage as well.

"W-we have to see this through, even if Goku doesn't show up," he remarked. "We owe that to everyone on the planet."

Piccolo nodded, somewhat impressed by their determination.

"Well...then I suppose we'll have to wait."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, how about all of that action, huh?
> 
> So, couple updates which interested readers should hopefully be at least somewhat excited about. Update #1: As a special limited time offer, for the first time of any fic written by me on this website, Hermit shall be updated...on a schedule!
> 
> Dun dun DUNNNNNNNN!
> 
> Yes, starting today, Sunday, November 25, 2018, I will be uploading a new chapter every Sunday, for a period yet to be determined(likely whenever I miss a chapter due to school/life/etc.. Or when I get my copy of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. Whichever comes first ;) ). In the meantime, rejoice, dear readers, in the simple pleasure of consistent updates, no matter how briefly it may last.
> 
> Update #2, related to Update #1: Chapter 6 is already more or less complete. As before, I wrote a lot of content for this second half of the Earthlings' battle with the Saiyans, so, in order to give you guys the luxury of consistent updates just a little bit longer, I decided to split it into two chapters, and release the second half as Chapter 6 next week.
> 
> Now that those are out of the way, a few additional thoughts.
> 
> Firstly, answering the question I know somebody will ask: there are several reasons why Tien was able to overpower Nappa with the Max Power Kikoho.
> 
> 1\. Between his training and the Max Power state, Tien is significantly stronger, almost strong enough to give Piccolo a run for his money. And as we know, the Kikoho packs a serious punch.
> 
> 2\. Nappa was weakened from Krillin's earlier Max Power Scatter Bullet.
> 
> 3\. Unlike in the original story, Tien wasn't down an arm, bleeding out, and barely able to stand when he launched this thing-that all went to Yamcha. For a technique that relies upon life force, not having yourself rapidly losing it is pretty important, one would think.
> 
> Secondly, to answer any questions like "Will Roshi use the Mafuba?" or "Will Krillin use the Kienzan?" or anything like that: just...wait, please. You'll have your answer very soon, trust me.
> 
> Thirdly, because I realized I forgot to do so last chapter, and for the sake of consistency, here's some power levels for those of you who appreciate them:
> 
> Tien(Max Power Kikoho): 5,000
> 
> Nappa(Break Cannon, weakened): 5,500
> 
> Piccolo(fully charged Special Beam Cannon): 8,500
> 
> Speaking of power levels, if you went by views, the fic itself is now almost as strong as Krillin was during this arc in the manga. So that's a thing. Thanks for that, guys. =)
> 
> And finally, after reading various other DBZ fics on here, I have an idea for something, but I'd like to know what you all think of it. So, if you guys happen to leave reviews or comments on this fic, I'd like to know: would you guys like to see me do a Q&A segment at the end of every chapter, selecting from questions that y'all ask in previous chapters' comments and answering them here?
> 
> As always, let me know what you guys think of this and the story itself by leaving reviews below. I hope you all have a fantastic day, and I'll see you all next week.


	7. The Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Nappa vanquished, Earth's warriors are left to deal with Vegeta, and have concocted a daring plan. Will they be able to last long enough for Goku to arrive, or will they fall to the power of the Prince of All Saiyans?

While the group of warriors rested as much as they could, one hour ticked by as if it were sixty. Roshi, Krillin, and Piccolo sat in close proximity, engaged in a telepathic conversation, while Gohan looked off into the distance, searching as best he could for his father's ki.

_"Alright, so if all else fails, I've got this new technique I've been trying out, called the Kienzan. If it works, it just might be able to do something,"_ Krillin began _._

_"Where even my greatest attack failed?"_  Piccolo replied.  _"Why didn't you use it before?"_

_"Well, I, uh...haven't actually succeeded in making it work yet,"_  he admitted sheepishly.  _"Plus, I didn't get too many openings to use it, and it moves pretty slowly and takes up a lot of energy."_

_"Fair, I suppose, but this Vegeta character is far smarter than that brute. He'll likely recognize it as a threat, especially with that device of his. And I still have my doubts that a weakling like you could fare much better than me."_

_"Hm...oh! I know! If you find a way to get behind him and stretch out your arms to trap him, I can throw the Kienzan at him from the sky. I mean, sure, I might accidentally take off your arms again, but-"_

_"Save it. If it kills that fool, I couldn't care less. But somebody will need to distract him so that I can get into position."_

_"Leave that to me,"_  Roshi replied.

_"M-master, are you sure you can hold up against him for that long?"_

_"I'll manage. You just focus on getting into position."_

_"Of course, if we fail, the two of you will likely perish."_

_"Well, that's where my ace in the hole comes in, then,"_  Roshi replied.

_"Wait, you don't mean-?"_  Krillin began as both he and Piccolo were shocked.

_"I prepared a rice cooker for the task a few days ago and placed it into a capsule. I couldn't be sure that it would affect these Saiyans at all, but I figured it paid to have something like that in reserve just in case."_

_"B-but master...with all the energy you've expended, if you use that technique..."_

_"Oh, yes, my odds are not looking good on that. But...I'm willing to bear that sacrifice if it means this threat is ended."_

Piccolo was silent as Krillin continued. _"M-master..."_

_"Please. I'm an old man who's lived a good, long life. Better that I die my final time than any of you youngsters, like poor Chiaotzu. Now...let me rest. I need all of the energy I can muster if this plan is going to work."_

Krillin nodded somberly, and began walking towards Gohan as Roshi began to meditate, preparing himself for the battle ahead.

* * *

Almost two hours later, within the great Lord Yemma's chamber in the Other World, Kami began pacing nervously back and forth, anxiously casting his glance towards Snake Way, the long winding road which led directly to the home planet of King Kai, the Lord of the Worlds. Eventually, after approximately 15 laps across the floor of the chamber, Kami sensed a powerful ki approaching from the direction of Snake Way. Mere seconds later, Goku suddenly appeared faster than anyone in the room could perceive, included Yemma himself. He appeared to be both tired and frantic, evidently having pushed his body to the limit to arrive in time.

"Goku!" Kami cried out joyously before once again realizing the stakes. "We must hurry! Take my hand!"

Goku hurriedly did so, and the two disappeared from the chamber in a blur of light before reappearing in the center of the Lookout.

"Thanks, Kami!" Goku said hurriedly as he moved to jump off the Lookout.

"Wait!" Kami said suddenly, giving Goku pause. "Now that you're here...there's something that you need to know."

* * *

Vegeta looked up as he heard two voices arguing, followed by a small beep from his own scouter.

"I protest-I am not some petulant coward who needs coddling from the likes of you!" Piccolo began.

"Look, I don't like it either, but if you die, then the Dragon Balls disappear! If Tien or Yamcha end up dying from their injuries, we may need them!" Krillin replied.

"And that concerns me how?"

"You really sure you want to push this? Between your injuries and that giant attack earlier, I'm fairly confident I could force you to go if I wanted."

Vegeta, having heard enough, promptly vanished, appearing right in front of the pair of them and kicking Piccolo into a nearby mountain.

"Actually...he's not going anywhere," Vegeta responded. Krillin simply shuddered in response.

_"Good, he bought it,"_  Roshi thought as he observed the exchange.  _"S_ _o, are we all clear on the plan?_ He felt a pause.  _"Great_. _Now, get ready, because if I'm not mistaken-"_

"Your three hours are up," Vegeta stated, sneering at Roshi, Krillin, and Gohan. "I guess Kakarot was more of a coward than I realized."

"M-my daddy's not a coward!" Gohan responded, fuming slightly.

Roshi put a hand on his shoulder. "Just ignore him."

Vegeta smirked slightly. "Now, if I remember correctly, I believe I settled on targeting the strongest first." With that, he began to step towards Krillin before Roshi leapt into the way, assuming a combat stance.

"Not so fast. If you want him, you'll have to get through me."

"Not a particularly challenging feat. But if you're that anxious to die, old man, then I will accommodate you!" With that, Vegeta swung at Roshi with a left hook, but to his shock, the old man managed to leap out of the way the instant it began. He then tried a kick with his right leg, encountering similar results.

"What the-?! How are you-?" Vegeta began before scowling furiously as the realization hit him. "AAGHH! This mind reading tactic is getting REALLY OLD!"

"It's more than just that old trick," Roshi replied as he dodged another left hook. "You may not consider it to be of much merit, but I have been training in the ways of martial arts for almost 300 years." Another sidestep allowed him to dodge a right hook. "I've fought beings who utilized all manner of fighting styles, and developed means of countering any one of them at any given moment." He leaned to the left to avoid a kick. "It's almost automatic, adapting to any given style and responding without much conscious thought at all."

He narrowly sidestepped a sweeping jab. "And I recognize your variety all too well, Vegeta." This time, he leaped over a sweeping low kick. "It's the style of a man who's never been defeated in his life." He ducked under a jab. "A man so confident in his own strength that he underestimates his opponents." He sidestepped another one. "Just as you're doing now."

"GRAAAH!" the prince roared as he swung at Roshi with a powerful haymaker, intending to take the old man's head off. Although Roshi anticipated the move both from his experience and Vegeta's thoughts, he nevertheless only barely avoided it, getting hit with a glancing blow of such force that it took off a portion of his shoulder. He winced in pain as he landed onto the ground, the prince standing above him triumphantly.

"Ha! Your power is far more impressive than I realized, old man, but it's still nothing compared to mine!"

Roshi chuckled weakly. "'Power,' huh? You still don't understand, do you?" Vegeta glanced down, confused, causing Roshi to elaborate. "No, I imagine you don't, with all of your talk about 'power levels' and 'scouter data' and all that nonsense. You live in a world of numbers, basing your opinions of others on little more than a reading on a tiny screen." He began to lift himself onto his feet, but only managed to get up onto one knee. "You mocked poor Raditz every day of his life for his supposed weakness, even as entire worlds were laid low by his hand. You were more concerned about an insult to your pride than the death of your lifelong comrade and servant." He chuckled slightly as another memory of Vegeta's rushed to the surface of his awareness. "You even scoffed at your own father, once your power grew to surpass his."

Vegeta growled slightly. "Get out of my head, old man," he muttered threateningly.

Roshi simply laughed. "Oh, and don't even get me started on your poor mother-!"

"I SAID GET OUT!" Vegeta shouted, sending out a massive kiai that knocked Roshi back to the ground. He began angrily walking towards Roshi, but was caught off guard as his scouter registered a new reading.

_"What the-?! A power level of 5,000, 4 minutes away?! It...it_ must _be him! But how did he-?"_

His train of thought was interrupted as another figure flew towards him and kicked him in the chin.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Gohan cried out as he landed blow after blow upon Vegeta, sending the prince back a few paces.

_"Remember, Gohan, don't hold back. Think about what will happen if Vegeta gets his wish on the Dragon Balls. Think about what happened to Chiaotzu! Yamcha! Tien! Think about what will happen to your parents! To Ox King! To Piccolo! To everyone you care about! Then, let that righteous anger flow through you! Seize upon your hidden power! And MAKE! HIM! PAY!"_

At this, Gohan cried out in anger and powered up further.

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE, YOU MONSTER!" he shouted as he began a renewed assault upon the prince.

As the prince blocked each one, his scouter began to fluctuate wildly.

"What the...it's still rising?!" he cried out in astonishment as he continued to dodge the blows, each one faster and stronger than the last. "2,000...2,100...2,200...2,300! Born from a low-class like Kakarot...and but a child, no less...incredible!"

Roshi smirked as he slowly got back onto his feet. "You wanted to see power? There it is."

Vegeta smiled as well. "Indeed," he said before stopping the Saiyan hybrid's rampage by grabbing his face in his left hand, muffling his screams of fury. Without another word, he slammed the child into the ground on his back, leaving him dazed as Vegeta let go. "Now I know I was right not to follow Nappa's recommendation."

Before he could take another step towards Roshi and Krillin, however, he felt two small hands clamp around his ankles, and grinned slightly. He looked down at Gohan, clearly struggling just to hold Vegeta in place.

"And what exactly was that supposed to do, brat?" he said with a chuckle.

Gohan grinned in return, a bit of his residual rage coming to the surface as he observed Krillin's plan coming to fruition. "Made you look," he said simply, before Vegeta heard two sounds coming from behind towards either side of him, similar to the sound of a rubber band being stretched to capacity. The next thing he knew, two rapidly expanding arms wrapped themselves around his chest, proceeding to wrap around his entire body in opposite directions before meeting back in the middle.

As Vegeta's legs became wrapped up by Piccolo's stretched right arm, Gohan let go and moved to the side while the prince fell flat on his face, completely immobilized. When breaking out of the hold through conventional means proved impossible, he took to the sky, intending to drag Piccolo up with him. However, Piccolo simply planted his feet into the ground as Gohan held onto him, and stretched his arms further to compensate. With this plan foiled as well, Vegeta's rage only increased further, and he let out an explosive wave of ki which encompassed the immediate area around his body with such intensity that the bonds that had previously held him were completely atomized.

As Piccolo howled in pain, the light from Vegeta's attack began to dissipate, and Vegeta noticed too late his original target hovering in the air, having hurled a massive disc of yellow ki directly at Vegeta. Even with the disc's slow speed and his own impressive reaction time, Vegeta only had a second to react. He dodged as well as he could, receiving a deep gash in his right side as he tried to twist away from the disc's trajectory. Vegeta cried out in agony as he felt the blood dripping from the wound. He could already feel a portion of his considerable power seeping away, and cursed himself for allowing them to get the jump on him. In a fit of anger, he blasted Krillin away with a ki blast, sending him crashing into the ground before vanishing and appearing right in front of where he landed.

As Krillin struggled to get up, Vegeta readied himself to deliver the finishing blow, when something caught his eye in the fighters' impromptu camp site. He saw a red device which had been used to heat what appeared to him to be some kind of grain, but upon closer inspection he discovered that a small piece of paper had been placed on one side with a singular phrase written on it. Not knowing any of Earth's native languages, Vegeta could not translate the seal, and would have otherwise dismissed it entirely had he not heard Krillin chuckling. He turned around just in time to find Roshi standing behind him, his body tensed up for the strain it was about to endure.

"MAFUBA!"

Vegeta began to feel a howling gust of green wind form all around him. Vegeta screamed in pain as he felt his body being compressed into a small ki sphere by some strange force, and hurriedly powered up as much as he could to try and escape. However, his efforts were for naught, and he soon found himself being pulled inexorably into the sky before crashing down towards the rice cooker. With one last howl of rage and agony, the compressed streak of ki containing his body and spirit was sucked into the rice cooker's open slot, which was in turn sealed shut by the force of the winds around it.

With a shuddering breath, Roshi fell to the ground, the strain of the technique bringing him to the brink of collapse and leaving the others to fear the worst. However, after a series of hacking coughs, Roshi's breathing began to stabilize.

"Hah...guess...that training...paid off...in...more ways than..."

"Hey, take it easy, Master Roshi," Gohan replied wearily as he lifted him up onto his feet, carrying him towards where the rice cooker was located. Meanwhile, Krillin and Piccolo shakily got up as well and assessed their respective injuries, Piccolo's arms taking a longer time to regenerate than usual.

"Did...did we just...win?" Krillin said incredulously. When Roshi and Gohan nodded slightly, Krillin began to laugh heartily. "Ha ha! We did it! We're alive! We WON!" Krillin's teary-eyed laughter was ultimately contagious, and everyone involved, Piccolo included, began to laugh to varying degrees.

"Heh...heh...whoo, boy. I really am...getting too...old for this," Roshi said, slurring his words slightly as a result of the pain. He picked up the rice cooker and held it in his hands. "We can't let...anything happen to this. If even...the smallest crack develops..."

"Hm...maybe Bulma could build some kind of rocket?" Krillin suggested. "Launch the guy straight into the sun?"

Piccolo scoffed. "The coward's way out. If that Vegeta character is to die, it shall be by my hand, once I have grown to surpass him." He chose not to think about the obvious problems with that ultimatum.

"Well, no matter what we do, we probably shouldn't keep it around here," Krillin said resolutely. "As soon as we can all fly, we should get this to Capsule Corp. Bulma will figure out how to keep it safe."

Gohan sighed. "I'm just glad it's finally over..." to the assent of everyone involved.

* * *

The Saiyan elite struggled to open his eyes as he took in the all-encompassing darkness of his tomb. He could make out a distant light source, but it might as well have been on another planet in his current situation. While he lay there, he felt a curious mixture of numbness and excruciating pain, with his body both feeling like it wasn't there and continually flaring up as a result of his circumstances. He cursed the weak fools who brought him to this point, cursed his own weakness for not being able to eliminate them when he had the chance, and cursed the universe for its mistreatment of him. It had taken away his family, his race, and left him with a life of servitude, at the beck and call of a tyrant with no right to claim authority over him other than his own fearsome power.

He heard voices. Four of them; evidently the aforementioned fools. They were saying something about a prince and a sealed rice cooker. He couldn't make out much more than that even in spite of his keen senses. But, nevertheless, he could tell that whatever they were talking about was important somehow.

Thus, even as every cell of his being screamed in protest, the Saiyan got to his feet and began to exercise his ki, lifting off the ground shakily but increasing in speed, getting ever closer to the light source before his ki faltered and he tumbled back into the darkness. In anger, he tried again, getting a little further before succumbing to the same result as before. At last, he threw everything he had into one last attempt, pushing his body past its current limits as he rocketed towards the light.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group heard a crash of air and felt an enormous ki as a solitary figure landed on the grass next to them while a yellow cloud zipped past him and settled nearby. The man's appearance brightened the spirits of everyone involved, save for Piccolo, who simply grumbled at the sight of his lifelong rival.

"Daddy!" Gohan cried out in joy as he moved to hug his father. In response, his father smiled, happy to see his son and friends again after almost a year. After splitting a Senzu bean up between Piccolo, Roshi, and Krillin, he voiced his confusion.

"Hang on, I felt a really powerful ki signature up until a few minutes ago, but then it just...disappeared," he said as he looked around, expecting to find a body.

"If I may..." Roshi said, lifting up his hand to Goku's forehead, imbuing him with all of Roshi's memories of the fight.

"Whoa, man! You guys fought a fighter like  **that**?! Wow! ...I'm kinda jealous!" he said with his trademark grin

"Yeah...even our ultimate techniques did little more than cut him slightly. If Master Roshi didn't have that sealed rice cooker on hand, I don't know what we would've done..." Krillin replied.

"And Tien killed the other Saiyan?"

"Yes," Roshi said. "Although the lad is now on death's door, I'm afraid. Yamcha also was wounded pretty badly."

Goku nodded somberly. "So those were the two declining ki signatures I felt on the way here."

"And as for young Chiaotzu..." Roshi continued, to which Goku again nodded.

"He can't be brought back anymore," Goku stated plainly, causing the mood of almost everyone to decline. "Well, at least he made sure Tien stayed safe. Let's...let's just hope he pulls through." As he glanced at the other fighters, he attempted to lighten the mood. "But hey! At least now the Earth isn't in danger anymore!"

"Heh. Yeah..." Krillin said with a slight smile. "We did pretty good, all things considered."

"All that training really did pay off!" Gohan affirmed.

Goku smiled, proud in his own way at how great a fighter Gohan had become since he'd been gone. Of course, he wasn't going to voice it out loud; should Chi Chi get wind of her husband condoning Gohan's participation in the battle, her reproach would be swift and relentless.

"Well, I suppose we're taking this to Capsule Corp. now?" Goku asked, beginning to turn west in preparation for the trip.

"Sounds like," Roshi replied at his side, some of his strength returning due to the effects of the Senzu bean.

"Well, alright then! You all good to fly?" Goku asked. Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo nodded and moved to stand alongside him, while Roshi stumbled slightly.

"I might need a minute," he said apologetically.

"Hey, no worries. Take as much time as you need, Master. You've certainly earned a little rest."

Roshi chuckled at this. "Yeah...I'll say."

The group chuckled in turn before Goku began to feel something strange in his head.  _"What the...? Is that...another ki signature? It's really weak...but everyone is already here. Who could it-?"_

Before he had time to finish his thought, a beam of crackling, purple ki soared across the landscape too fast for any of them to react, piercing through both Roshi's body and the rice cooker. With a short, strangled gasp, Roshi fell to the ground, his eyes glazing over. Krillin and Gohan rushed to attend to him while Goku and Piccolo looked off towards the beam's point of origin.

Nappa laughed heartily amidst hacking coughs as he held his still-smoking finger aloft, still crackling with the same purple energy. His armor, sturdy by design, was nonetheless melted by the power of Tien's Kikoho attacks, along with significant portions of the surface of his skin. All of his hair was gone, his tail ablaze in places, and what skin remained on his body was matted with ruptured blood vessels and scorch marks. What power he had been able to muster took every bit of life force he had left in him, life force which had only barely managed to sustain his broken body for those last few hours. As this too left him, he continued laughing.

"Kill them all...my Lord. Avenge...me...!"

With that, the life faded from the Saiyan elite, and he fell to the ground dead before Piccolo or Goku could even lay a finger upon him.

Goku turned around to see Gohan trying to keep Roshi conscious, while Krillin clamped down on the holes in the rice cooker as hard as he could, failing to contain the streak of energy struggling to let itself out. Piccolo moved to assist him in this futile effort while Goku simply stood there, still trying to process his master's ultimate fate. Tears came to the corners of his eyes as he cursed himself for not being able to react fast enough, only to hear a voice speaking faintly in his mind.

_"Don't...blame yourself...Son Goku."_

_"M-Master! Please, Master, don't-!"_  Goku replied, the voice of his thoughts breaking.

_"Sshhhh. It's okay. It's okay. I did...all that I could. I'm...I'm okay with this."_

_"I-I should've been able to stop it, but I was too distracted-!"_

_" **Enough** ,"_ Roshi communicated as his body shuddered violently. After a few gasps of pain rang through Goku's mind, he continued,  _"Focus."_  As he spoke, both Krillin and Piccolo were blown backwards as the streak of energy finally burst out of its cage and took off into the air, beginning to take form only a few meters away.  _"The seal...has been broken, and I...have not another. Which means that you have to defeat him, Goku! You...can defeat him! I know you can! This, Goku, is...what you have...been training for!"_

Goku was silent for a moment, already knowing what Roshi said to be true. As he felt Roshi's life force begin to slip away, he sent one last message to him.

_"I'm sorry for letting you down, Master."_

Roshi seemed surprised for a second, as if he were focusing on something else. He then heard Roshi chuckle in his head.  _"Son...you've...inspired me...from the moment...the moment I..."_

With a final gasp, Roshi's body ultimately failed him, and the Turtle Hermit departed from the world of mortals. Gohan looked up at Goku, tears forming in his eyes as well, and this sight finally collapsed the floodgates holding back his own tears. He let out a scream of pure, righteous fury as he let out the full extent of his power, its sheer magnitude causing nearly everyone to collapse. As the waves of ki evaporated his tears, he turned towards Vegeta, who had only just managed to compose himself after continually muttering something about an "endless darkness," with a piercing gaze.

As he readied himself for the fight of his life, heart pounding both in anticipation and anger, Goku sent a single command into the minds of all of his comrades, one which even the stalwart Piccolo wasted no time in obeying to the letter:

" _ **Go**_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the first truly iconic battle of Dragon Ball Z commences in earnest! ...And no, Goku didn't just become a Super Saiyan. You'll know when he does, trust me.
> 
> Also, Roshi didn't use Ultra Instinct in this chapter-he's using what I'm going to call Automatic Movement. Basically, just really, really good muscle memory, similar to what he displayed in the Dragon Ball Super manga's adaptation of the Tournament of Power.
> 
> And for those who might be upset that Tien didn't kill Nappa, as you can see, he might as well have. He wouldn't have lasted more than a couple more hours anyway.
> 
> Anyway, in terms of notes, there isn't really too much to add here, other than the schedule is holding steady for now. Also, I was planning for an additional scene for this chapter, but I decided that it would fit more as an intermission in Chapter 7, so that'll be when you guys see that. And, of course, a minor anecdote: while reading the first three volumes of Dragon Ball, I learned that Launch actually does know about her personality shifting. So, that was a goof on my part, but it's too late now, so I'll stick with what I wrote down for her backstory as far as that goes.
> 
> Well, anyway, guess it's time for some power levels(side note: not getting into the Kienzan, because wow, is that thing confusing)
> 
> Roshi(post-Mafuba): 175
> 
> Goku: 8,000(16,000 with Kaio-ken x 2, 24,000 with Kaio-ken x 3, 32,000 with Kaio-ken x4)
> 
> Alright, as always, be sure to leave your thoughts and reviews below. Thank you all for reading, I hope you all have a fantastic day, and take care.


	8. The Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his master dead and his friends wounded, it's up to Son Goku to defeat Vegeta and save the Earth from destruction!

Even under the best of circumstances, the staff of Wukong Hospital were very often forced to work almost nonstop to ensure that everyone who walked through their doors was cared for. West City had several smaller clinics, but when these too were filled to capacity by residents from nearby rural areas, or could not supply the treatment that certain patients needed, it fell to Wukong to pick up the slack.

Today in particular was a day in which even Wukong's massive facility was unprepared for the sheer flood of patients. Although no survivors from East City itself had been found at that point in time, the massive tremors produced by the sudden explosion could be felt even at the very outskirts of West City, and for residents of East County as a whole, the effects were devastating. Thousands upon thousands streamed into relief centers across the continent as a result of injuries suffered during the tremors.

To make matters worse, the incident itself sparked mass panic, with many carrying on as if the world itself were coming to an end, and consequently doing whatever they pleased. As many more streamed in due to injuries sustained in riots, robberies, and other assorted acts of violence, rumors began to circulate regarding the cause of East City's destruction. Some believed it was the work of the Demon King Piccolo, looking to send a message to the world. Others believed that some new experimental weapon was to blame. However, one rumor persisted above all others, and was the subject of intense debate.

A few patients noted the testimony of a farmer living far to the south, recorded by a reporter from Ginger Town. The report, detailing an incident involving a spherical flying saucer and a superhuman alien with a tail, was widely considered to have been shot solely to compensate for a slow news week. Several conspiracy dramas filmed episodes on the subject in the following months, with one perceptive host positing a connection between the alleged alien sighting and the strange characteristics and incredible power demonstrated by Son Goku, the plucky martial artist who made it to the final round of the Tenkaichi Budokai on two separate occasions, and won the 23rd.

However, outside of its fervently loyal following, this particular host's show was widely considered to be complete nonsense-previous episodes had claimed that the 21st World Champion Jackie Chun and the reclusive martial arts master Muten Roshi were one and the same, that Son Goku had also killed King Piccolo nine years prior, and that the man who fought Son Goku in the 23rd Budokai was actually the Demon King's son, according to the testimony of an old couple who claimed that their dog was attacked by a small green child shortly after the Demon King's death. Nevertheless, in spite of initial skepticism, first responders' discovery of two spherical vehicles in what remained of the city, constructed in a similar manner to the vehicle described in the report, sparked renewed interest in the story.

The hospital staff wisely chose to keep themselves clear of these rumors as much as possible. However, even they began having doubts when a man who appeared to have had his arm recently severed arrived carrying an unconscious man with three eyes. Even more shocking, the staff could readily recognize both men as the martial artists Yamcha and Tien Shinhan. The former had consistently made it to the quarterfinals of the last three Budokais, while the latter won the 22nd and made it to the semifinal round of the 23rd before losing to Son Goku. In particular, Yamcha had also made headlines the previous year when he abruptly announced his leave of absence from the Taitans last season. Now, it seems, the people of West City had an answer as to why.

Not wishing to exacerbate their situation with a media frenzy, the staff chose to place a curtain over their section of the intensive care unit as soon as possible, and had the pair of them looked after by some of the hospital's security team. However, this arrangement proved to have unforeseen consequences a mere two hours after their arrival, when the doctors' examination of Tien was disrupted by the sound of a woman screaming just outside of the wing and several nurses fleeing in terror.

The security personnel left his bedside and swung open the doors to find a curious sight: a young blonde woman struggling to free herself from the grasp of a slightly younger woman with raven black hair. Meanwhile, a pig who proceeded to transform into a large gorilla and a floating cat who transformed into a rope also rendered their assistance while Bulma Briefs of West City's own Capsule Corporation, wearing some curious green visor across her right eye, attempted to placate the blonde woman.

"Launch, please, you need to calm down, okay? You're causing a scene. Now, just take deep, relaxing breaths-" Bulma began before Launch screamed in frustration.

"Let go of me, you stupid bitch!" Bad Launch shouted at the woman holding her.

Chi Chi took a deep breath before responding. "...I'm going to choose to attribute that comment to stress and not hold it against you in the future."

"Please! I NEED to see him!"

"I sympathize, but this is hardly how a civilized person behaves. Calm. Down.  **Now**!"

Launch screamed once more and renewed her struggle against Chi Chi's hold. Oolong quickly turned to the security guards, his fear evident across his features.

"For the love of God, just let her inside!"

The security guards, unsure of how to process this bizarre scene, were silent for a moment before one of them regained her composure.

"Listen, folks, this area is strictly off limits to anyone but incoming patients, hospital personnel, and approved visitors. So unless somebody here specifically requested for you folks to come down here, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Just then, however, the guard heard the door swing open slightly to reveal Yamcha trailed by two nurses within arm's reach, struggling in vain to drag him back into bed.

"It's okay, ma'am. They're here for me," he said weakly as Bulma gasped in shock. Before any of the guards could stop her, she rushed to his side.

"Good God, Yamcha, what happened to you out there?!"

Yamcha chuckled. "Let's just say those guys can throw a mean punch."

While Bulma and the others were distracted by Yamcha's injuries, Launch took the opportunity to break free of Chi Chi's grasp and rush past the guards into the ICU, eventually locating Tien's bed and moving to within 5 feet of it before Chi Chi caught up to her and pulled her back.

"AGH! Stop it! Let! Me! Go...a...aaah...ATCHOO!"

With that, Launch promptly reverted to her blue haired state, and looked about in confusion for a second before remembering why the group had traveled there. As Chi Chi released her from her grasp at Yamcha's urging, she gently pulled open the curtains before putting her hands to her mouth. Tien laid on the bed with his eyes closed, motionless, while a series of tubes jutted out from various areas of his body, pumping chemicals into his bloodstream. The veins in his arms, legs, and torso were still bulging slightly, a side effect of the intensity of both Max Power and the Kikoho. The only indication that he was alive at all was a small monitor next to the bed, which beeped at semi-regular intervals to confirm that his heart was indeed beating. As the team of doctors examining him continued their work, one of them walked up to Launch, the expression on his face seeming to confirm her worst suspicions. After taking a moment to regain her composure, Launch began to speak.

"How is he?" she asked in a small voice, while the others gathered around behind her.

The doctor shook his head and gave her an apologetic grimace. "It's...not looking good for him, my dear. What his body's undergone...frankly, I've never seen anything like it. It's as if he's just spent the last three days running a marathon nonstop without food or water. Every inch of his body seems to be suffering from muscle spasms, constriction of blood vessels, internal bleeding, dehydration-to say nothing of the fractured wrist and cranial trauma. It's a miracle we were able to put him on life support."

Launch did her best to keep her emotions in check as the doctor continued, "Fortunately, as far as we can determine, while he's unlikely to recover...he isn't getting any worse. Which means that, provided we keep him on life support and no complications develop, he could stay alive indefinitely. But the costs to do so are-"

"I'll cover it," Bulma cut in, placing a hand on Launch's shoulder. "I don't care how much I have to spend." Launch looked her in the eyes and began to tear up before the doctor's voice brought her attention back to him.

"If I could perhaps have a moment alone with this young woman?"

The others nodded and moved over to Yamcha's bed, Yamcha finally lying back down to rest.

Meanwhile, the doctor led Launch into one of several offices lining the hallway. After pulling up a chair for her, the doctor sat down and began to speak once more.

"Well, miss, um...?"

"Launch," she offered weakly.

"Right. Well, Miss Launch, I was hoping that you might be able to provide some insight regarding Mr. Shinhan's background."

Launch cocked her head slightly. "Pardon me?"

"Well, usually, in cases like this, the patient's family makes the decision to keep them on life support, but in what little time I've had since he came in, I haven't found a single living contact anywhere in the world. I already asked Mr. Yamcha about it, but he stated that the only person he knew of was a boy named Chiaotzu, who is...no longer with us."

Launch felt her chest tighten as the doctor spoke, and she let out a small gasp of pain. It took every ounce of willpower she had to maintain her composure.

The doctor stopped for a moment to allow her to breathe before continuing, "So, uh...I was hoping you might know something he didn't."

Launch nodded reluctantly. "He...he told me that the village he came from has always been reclusive and isolated. According to him, his parents died...when he was 6. They were both only children-he told me that that was fairly common there, for...some reason. His grandparents on both sides were dead by the time he was born, along with any great aunts and uncles that I know of. Shortly after his parents' death, he was...'adopted' by a man named Taopaipai-"

She stopped suddenly as the doctor, having begun making notes in a notebook, almost dropped it in shock before hurriedly regaining his composure. "C-continue, p-please."

"-and went to live with his older brother, Tsuru Sen'nin. They, uh...they aren't on good terms."

The doctor coughed awkwardly, remembering tales of the dramatic confrontation at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. "N-no, I imagine not." He then hurriedly regained his composure. "And just to clarify, would you say that you are...close to Mr. Shinhan?"

Launch blushed slightly in spite of herself. "S-something like that."

The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, in that case, you will have to fill out some paperwork in order to secure this right for yourself."

Launch nodded, lips quivering slightly. "I understand."

The doctor noticed the change in her tone, and looked back at her sympathetically as he pulled out the requisite forms and a blue ballpoint pen. He coughed again. "Well, I better be getting back to him to check on his...progress." With that, he got up out of his chair and made his way towards the door before pausing. He moved to close the blinds of his office windows and pulled out the key to his door. "...Take as much time as you need," he said eventually, closing the door and locking it behind him.

As she bent over the desk and glanced down at the forms the doctor had left, she had just enough presence of mind to move them to the side before the lid she had tried to maintain shattered completely, and she pressed her face into her arms as she began to cry with increasing severity. It got to the point where one of Tien's security staff began to walk towards the door to check out what was going on, but Chi Chi calmly, yet forcefully placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. When his eyes met her own, eyes which seemed to know what was happening from personal experience, he turned back around without hesitation, leaving Launch alone as her world crumbled around her.

* * *

"How'd you even know I was here?" Yamcha asked after Chi Chi returned to his side.

"You can thank Goku's brother," Oolong replied. "We had all been hanging out at Kame House, 'watching' you fight those Saiyan guys with that alien doodad."

"I had already recorded everyone's power levels beforehand, so when we saw two of them dropping fast and moving towards West City, we knew who they were," Bulma added as she began to look Yamcha over.

"Well, I appreciate the thought, at least," Yamcha replied. "I just wish I could've done more against those guys."

"Hey, man, the important thing is you're still alive," Oolong consoled him. "Looked like...some of you couldn't say that." He cast his head down along with the others, saddened by Chiaotzu's loss. Bulma, however, was far too focused on her work to notice the shift in tone. She pulled out a set of measuring tape and began recording the dimensions of his remaining arm. Once she was satisfied with the results, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hi, daddy, I-yes, daddy, I'm okay. I'm at the hospital right now. I-no, daddy, I'm not hurt, I'm here for Yamcha and Tien. Now can you-daddy! For the last time, I. Am. Fine! ...Look, just-get the prosthetics lab working on something for me, will you? Model-remind me, which one was for just the forearm? ...C? Alright, Model C, Size...hm, would this be a 9 or a 10? You know what-just have them do both. And fast! ...Ugh, FINE! It's for Yamcha! There, you happy?! Just-have them put the two of them together and ship them to Wukong Hospital as soon as you can, okay?! ...Alright. Thank you. I'll tell him you send your best. ...I will. ...I love you, too, daddy. Bye."

With that, she hung up, still somewhat angry at her father's stubbornness and worried about Yamcha, before her eyes met Yamcha's as he smiled weakly. She found herself smiling as well, until a loud beeping noise from the scouter distracted her.

"What the...a power of 8,000?!"

"Holy crap...that's almost as strong as Piccolo got earlier!" Oolong replied.

"But...Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan's powers haven't changed. Which means it must be-"

"Goku!" Yamcha finished excitedly. "He made it! He's here!"

"Yeah...but that other Saiyan is still up," Bulma replied worriedly. "And  **his**  power is 16,750. It's dropping somewhat steadily, but..."

"Wait, I thought you said the others killed him a few minutes ago?" Chi Chi asked.

"I thought they did, but somehow, he's back, and over twice as strong as Goku."

Yamcha's face fell for a moment before he regained his composure. "M-maybe, but...but this is Goku we're talking about! He's always got something up his sleeve! He wouldn't send everyone away if he wasn't confident he could beat him!"

"Unless, of course, he just wants them to save themselves..." Oolong countered, his natural pessimism making itself known.

"Oh, hush, you!" Chi Chi scolded him. "I'm already worried enough knowing there isn't anything I can do to help my husband!" She sighed sadly. "Not to mention poor Gohan..."

"Look, the fact is, whether he wins or loses, there isn't really anything any of us can do about it at this point," Bulma interjected. "Let's just focus on what we can do here and now, alright?"

The group nodded, although Bulma could tell that their anxiety over the situation was hardly gone, and she couldn't blame them.

" _Come on, Goku. You can do it. You have to,"_ she thought as the scouter readings continued to shift, her small, practically opaque window into an event which could well mean the end of the world as she knew it.

* * *

Piccolo and Gohan hurriedly took off into the sky, Gohan having managed to hitch a ride on Kintoun before it would have departed. Krillin, however, hesitated, causing Goku to turn to his friend in anger.

"What are you doing?! I told you to leave!"

"I know, but I just had to say-don't do it here!"

Goku cocked his head in confusion. "Why not?"

"Do you want our master's body mangled or burnt when he comes back to life?"

"Comes back to-what are you talking about, Krillin?! Master Roshi and Chiaotzu have both been brought back before-they can't be brought back by the Dragon Balls again! Not to mention Kami is-!"

"Look, I don't have time to explain, but before he passed, Master Roshi sent me a message. He told me about something that the prince was thinking about while he was fighting us!"

Goku was still confused and slightly angry, causing Krillin to groan slightly.

"Please, just don't fight here! You have to trust me on this!"

Goku hesitated for a moment before nodding. With that, Krillin smiled.

"Thanks! Now good luck out there, Goku!"

With that, he took off as well, leaving Goku the task of convincing Vegeta, still muttering under his breath about the horrors he had witnessed, to relocate their battle.

"Hey, you!" he called out, stopping the prince's rambling. "Let's not fight here!"

The prince looked up in confusion before hurriedly replying, trying his best to push the things he had witnessed in his tomb to the back of his mind.

"Huh? Uh, yes! Yes! C-choose whatever place you wish to die, l-low class scum! It will m-make no difference!"

Goku was puzzled for a moment, but nodded, and began to fly towards a nearby desert which he knew to be uninhabited, Vegeta doing his best to fly after him in his current state. After five minutes, the two arrived, Vegeta landing on top of a cliff overlooking Goku's own position. Having had a few minutes to get his bearings, Vegeta finally had the presence of mind to do something about the large gash in his side, roughly cauterizing it with a burst of ki. When he was finished screaming from the pain, he looked down to examine the situation.

" _Damn. From what I can tell, the trip here combined with my earlier injuries and their treatment has dropped my power level considerably. Probably can only bring out a little over 16,000. Still, it matters not-there's no way a low-class like him can defeat me!"_

Goku likewise looked up towards Vegeta, sizing him up.

" _He's hurt pretty bad-that Kienzan attack really did a number on him. Going to have to see if Krillin can teach me that once this is over...assuming I beat this guy, anyway. In the meantime, there's no way I can beat him at my base level. I'm going to have to use the Kaio-ken Times Two at this rate..."_

When the two were done with their examinations, Goku hailed the Saiyan prince.

"So...you're here for the Dragon Balls, right?"

Vegeta simply grunted. "Yes. What of them?"

"Well, I just thought I'd let you know: the Dragon Balls can only be used once a year. And I was revived yesterday."

Vegeta simply sputtered as he took in what Goku was saying. "N-no! You're lying!"

Goku chuckled. "I'm not in the habit of lying to people. You're not going to get your wish, so why don't you leave this planet and never come back?!"

Vegeta scoffed. "And if I refuse this generous offer?"

Goku began to growl, the anger he'd felt over the injuries inflicted upon his friends and teacher still weighing heavily on his mind.

"Then I'll send your broken body back out into space," he said grimly.

Goku cracked his knuckles as he entered into a combat stance. Vegeta laughed as he replied in kind.

"So you are serious about fighting me, Kakarot? Very well. Whatever training you received has evidently made you quite powerful-even more so than a nobleman like Nappa. But it doesn't matter how much you've trained-you'll never be the equal of the Prince of all Saiyans!"

To Vegeta's surprise, Goku merely chuckled. "Says the guy who got a gash in his side from a 'lowly human' like Krillin."

Vegeta growled. "That fool simply caught me off guard!"

"And what about Master Roshi dodging all of your attacks?"

"Grrr...I underestimated the old geezer! Nothing more, you hear me?!"

"No...it's much more than that," Goku replied. "Unlike you, Vegeta, the people of Earth know that everyone has the potential to do great things. That with enough hard work and determination, anyone can rise to the level of an elite, provided that they are given equal opportunity. A lesson that you and those like you refused to learn, even after your planet was destroyed."

Vegeta's rage began to build even further. "This is ridiculous! 'Hard work and determination?' What kind of sentimental crap is that?! What right does a dust ball baby like you have to lecture the Prince of all Saiyans about strength?!"

When Goku cocked his head in confusion, Vegeta laughed. "Right, of course-you don't know anything about your homeworld, Kakarot! Well, when Saiyans reach the age of three, they are sent by their parents to alien worlds in order to test their survival skills and combat prowess on the inhabitants. We first send survey probes to record the average native power level across a given planet's surface, and divide it into several categories adjusted for the size of their populations. A-class worlds have an average power of over 1,000. B-class worlds have an average power of 100 to 1,000. C-class worlds, 10 to 100. And D-class worlds...1 to 10," Vegeta finished with a sneer. "Just like this planet, Kakarot. Only the absolute weakest of the weak are sent to planets like that!"

Goku smiled in spite of the circumstances. "If that's how I got sent to Earth, I owe my parents a great debt. The life I have lived on this world...I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Vegeta smirked. "Is that so? Well, then...allow me to END IT!"

With this battle cry, he powered up as high as he could and flew full force at his enemy. Goku barely managed to dodge this first pass by leaping upwards towards a higher cliff, causing Vegeta to halt himself and fly upwards for a second pass. Fully realizing he was outmatched, Goku's body tensed as it prepared itself for the strain it was about to endure.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO!" Goku shouted as his body became enveloped in a red aura of ki. He felt his veins beginning to bulge as his power skyrocketed. " _Agh! Damn! Forgot how much this hurts! Oh well, better take him out fast!"_

Vegeta flew towards him, readying a mighty punch to Goku's jaw, but noticed too late the red aura surrounding Goku. As Vegeta mulled over the meaning of this change, Goku was able to dodge his punch and strike back with a blow of his own, leaving Vegeta staggered.

" _W-what?! Impossible! How did he-?!"_  He had no more time to think before he was forced on the defensive, narrowly blocking all of Goku's strikes before finally being hit with a blow to the nose. With a cry of pain, he stepped back a pace before putting his hand to his nose, finding blood dripping from where Goku had struck him.

"Grrr...twice today, I have shed my royal blood...because of low-born trash!"

Vegeta had little time to think about this fact, as Goku was once again upon him, raining down blow after blow upon the Saiyan for a much longer period. Although Vegeta could block most of them, even these strikes were beginning to wear him down, and he found himself being struck by more and more blows. Eventually, he managed to dodge one of Goku's attacks with a backflip, and it was during this reprieve that he noticed he wasn't the only one slowing down.

" _Damn!"_ Goku thought. " _His ki's declining over time, but not fast enough! At this rate, I'll have to power down before he uses up all of his energy, and by that point, he'll kill me for sure!"_ His expression was set grimly as he understood what had to be done. " _Sorry, King Kai, but...I'm going to have to push_ beyond  _Times Two_!"

As Vegeta growled angrily and leapt towards Goku, Goku took a deep breath as he steeled himself once more.

"KAIO-KEN...TIMES THREE!"

* * *

Back in the Intensive Care Unit of Wukong Hospital, Bulma continued to pace around Yamcha's section, waiting for news of her order arriving even though she knew full well that it would take at least five more hours. Suddenly, however, a loud beeping sound stopped her in her tracks.

"What is it?" Chi Chi asked.

"It looks like Goku, but...it's increasing way too fast!" Bulma replied. "18,000...19,000...20,000...21,000-!" she cried out before the scouter's circuits overloaded, destroying the device and leaving what was left of it to fall to the ground in pieces.

Chi Chi rushed to her side before Bulma waved her off. "I'm all right. Just a slight malfunction, it seems. Still..." she remarked, "To think one guy could be so strong..."

* * *

Elsewhere, on another plane of existence, King Kai gazed down in the direction of Earth, observing the conflict between the two Saiyans with his extraordinary telepathic powers. As he saw Goku take pause, he could already tell what was going through his pupil's mind.

"Agh! You fool! You haven't had enough time to train the Kaio-ken properly! Your body isn't ready for the Times Three state!"

He grimaced as his two "attendants," Bubbles and Gregory, looked at him with concern.

"Still...at this rate, it seems to be your only option. I had no idea that he would be so powerful..."

* * *

" _Wait...times what-?"_

Vegeta's train of thought was interrupted by a powerful kick to his right arm. Although not quite powerful enough to dislocate it, the crack of several bones could be heard for quite a distance, and Vegeta screamed in pain.

" **That**  was for Yamcha-who your friend left with only one arm!" Goku cried out before landing a powerful punch to Vegeta's jaw, sending him flying backwards. " **That** was for Tien-who may never wake up!" Before Vegeta could slow himself down mid-air, Goku flew behind him and hit him in the back with a powerful downward strike. " **That** was for Chiaotzu-who'll never see his best friend again!" As Vegeta crashed into a nearby rock formation, Goku landed on a nearby cliff and powered down after pausing for a few seconds, in order to catch his breath and save his strength while Vegeta lay dazed in a pile of rubble.

Unbeknownst to Goku, an old friend of his hid behind a rock face nearby, peeking his head out to observe the battle.

" _Shoot!"_ Yajirobe thought, sweating profusely. " _I came to look since they landed so close, but...this ki from both of them is unreal! M-maybe I should bail while I have the chance!"_

Just as he thought to do so, however, a great roar of anger could be heard from the rock formation, and Vegeta let out a massive explosive wave which vaporized it in its entirety. As Goku braced himself to have to power up again, Vegeta looked at him with a crazed expression.

"I will not stand for this! I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I will not be defeated by a low-class wretch on some D-class dirt ball!"

With this, he leaped into the air and settled several dozen meters above where he had previously stood.

"I had considered Nappa's idea of conquering this place...but ever since I landed here, I have been met with nothing but insults! My aide killed by some three-eyed freak...wounded by a cowardly midget and impeded by a frail old man...and now, overpowered by this-this  **mockery** of everything the Saiyan race stood for! No...for these transgressions...there can be only one recourse!"

He began to charge up his ki, forming a crackling purple aura around himself as he gathered an enormous amount of energy between his two cupped hands. Goku, sensing the immense power of this final attack, likewise powered up to Kaio-ken Times Three and began to cup his own hands together.

"And  **this** ," Goku said as the familiar blue ball of ki began forming in between his hands, "is for my master! KA...ME..."

As both of the attacks continued to charge, the surrounding landscape trembled, and the winds kicked up by their sheer power nearly bowled Yajirobe over.

"Holy...these guys...they're something else!" he remarked, too transfixed by the sight to obey his gut instinct to flee in mortal terror.

"HA...ME..."

As Vegeta's attack neared its apex, he looked down upon his hated enemy, and growled in anger.

"SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR PLANET, KAKAROT! GALICK GUN... **FIRE**!"

" **HAAAA**!"

The two beams collided several meters above the ground, continuing to send shockwaves throughout the area as both Saiyans struggled to overpower each other. Goku could sense Vegeta's energy declining even faster as he continued to use this Galick Gun technique-but, unfortunately, the strain of the Kaio-ken Times Three was causing Goku to decline still faster. Even as it took everything Vegeta had to maintain the beam, still he could not deny himself the opportunity to gloat over his struggling opponent.

"It's over, Kakarot! You don't stand a chance! This attack will destabilize your planet's core! In a matter of minutes, I will be able to gaze upon your planet from my pod as everything you care about is vaporized in the explosion!  **This** , Kakarot, is the price you pay for daring to challenge a Saiyan elite!"

With this last proclamation, Vegeta pumped even more of his energy into the Galick Gun, cackling madly as he saw Goku slowly give way under the pressure of the attack.

" _It's no use! Please, body, hold out!"_  Goku thought as he screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for a new flash of pain. "KAIO-KEN...TIMES... **FOUR**!"

The Kamehameha, which had previously barely been able to halt the advance of Vegeta's attack, suddenly ballooned in size and power, rapidly beating back the purple beam and leaving Vegeta terrified as it loomed ever closer. With one last scream of anger mixed in with a hint of fear, Vegeta was sent flying by the powerful beam, disappearing from view as he flew through a cloud.

* * *

Goku was only barely able to smile slightly before his whole body flared up in agony.

"AGGGHHHH!" he gasped as he hunched forward, continuing to stand purely through willpower alone. He continued to breath haphazardly for several minutes as Yajirobe finally became brave enough to venture out from his hiding place.

"Woo-hoo! You did it! You beat him!" he cried out, thankful that he wasn't going to die today.

"Yajirobe...?" Goku responded, drained from his use of the Kaio-ken. "When did you get here?"

"Oh, you know, I was just kinda...hanging around."

Goku nodded absentmindedly. "Well, not like you can help much anyway."

"Yeah, well, at least he's...wait," Yajirobe said, beginning to sweat once more. "D-don't you mean 'couldn't have?' P-past tense?"

"Nope," Goku replied simply. "He ain't down just yet."

"O-oh...b-but you're stronger than him, right? With your Kaio-whatever?"

"With the Kaio-ken technique, yeah, but the more I push it, the greater a toll it takes on my body. Not to mention, if I don't balance it perfectly, it could kill me at any level."

"Oh..." Yajirobe said simply, his panic building. "W-what would you say your odds are here?"

"Well...I could probably pull off the Times Two for a while, Times Three for a minute or two, and...Times Four for a few seconds. But at this rate, I doubt any of them would be able to beat him. Still...call it 50/50."

"A-ah...well, good luck!" Yajirobe said before running off to cower behind a nearby rock once more. Goku simply sighed as he began to prepare himself.

" _Welp...it seems that the Spirit Bomb is the only way I'll be able to defeat him. Let's just hope that I can find enough time to concentrate..."_

* * *

Vegeta screamed in pain for a solid two minutes before he finally poured what strength he had left into the power of flight, managing to remove himself from the beam's trajectory mere moments before he would've otherwise been vaporized. As he floated there huffing and gasping in pain and anger, he clenched his fists and roared in protest.

"DAMN YOU, KAKAROT!"

His anger temporarily satiated, he gained enough clarity to hatch a last-ditch effort.

"I didn't want to have to expend this much effort on a low-class like Kakarot, but it seems I have no choice. I'll simply become the mighty Oozaru and crush him into-!"

He looked around the evening sky, searching for the object he had hoped to find already emerging by the time he arrived.

"W-where's the moon?"

He looked around again, more frantically this time.

"WHERE'S THE DAMN MOON?!"

Unbeknownst to him, King Kai was snickering on his home planet, fully aware that Piccolo had destroyed it almost a year prior when Gohan had accidentally gone Oozaru himself.

"Grrr-of course! That low-class bastard-he must have blown it up at some point! Tch-no matter! I'll just have to resort to the other method at my disposal. It'll take even more of my ki, but it'll all be worth it to see the look on his face..."

Vegeta sunk below the clouds, cackling once more as he flew to meet Goku back on the surface.

* * *

Goku looked up towards the sky in confusion.

" _What's he doing? Why isn't he coming down to fight me? He's just been...sitting there. Oh, no, wait, here he comes_."

On cue, Vegeta landed a few meters away, still chuckling smugly as he took off his scouter and threw it to the ground.

"Well, Kakarot, you may have overwhelmed me in my base form, but unfortunately for you, we Saiyans posses a transformation that increases our power manyfold!"

Goku simply readied himself, the signal for Vegeta to continue with whatever he was trying to say.

"When the light from a star is reflected by a planet's moon, the resulting moonlight emanates what are known as blutz waves. However, only on a full moon is the requisite quantity of 17 million zeno units per second reflected. And when this quantity is absorbed by our retinas, it triggers a chemical reaction in a certain gland in our tails! Of course, your little stunt seems to have eliminated the advantage of a natural full moon, but unfortunately for you..." Vegeta began to hold a white ball of ki above his left palm. "Following the final defeat of the Tuffles, the Saiyans developed a means by which an artificial full moon could be generated by mixing a burst of ki with a planet's atmosphere! And as  **you** seem to have lost your tail, Kakarot, you will be powerless to stop me! Now, behold-the primal fury of the Saiyan race!"

Without another word, he launched the ball into the air before closing his fist, causing the ball to explode and ignite the air around it to create a perfect sphere of brilliant white light. Goku looked up at the sphere in confusion before he noticed the rumbling growls emanating from Vegeta. The prince's teeth became jagged, his eyes lost their pupils, and brown fur began to sprout all throughout his body. As his jaw expanded outward, resembling a cross between a canine and a gorilla, all Goku could think of as he looked on in horror was a single childhood memory, long repressed: Goku lying naked in the forest, trees crushed and animals dead or dying all around him, as he cried hot tears into the tattered robe of his grandfather's mangled corpse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter complete!
> 
> First off, disclaimer for the introduction: my knowledge of standard procedure in hospitals is very limited. Please don't hesitate to correct me if something said there doesn't make any sense.
> 
> Actually, I'll be honest, I went back and forth on including the introductory scene in the hospital for this one versus once the saga was done, but I ultimately decided to put it here after realizing it probably didn't conflict with anything and provided a good intermission before the next big fight of the arc.
> 
> And speaking of that fight, I'm surprised at how much it(and, really, the whole arc) changed from outline to final product.
> 
> \- For one thing, Tien died in my original outline, but slips into a coma in this.
> 
> \- Nappa survived the Max Power Kikoho in much better shape, going on to ultimately kill Roshi in spite of his Automatic Movement technique
> 
> \- Yamcha stuck around during the three hour skip, even when he was down an arm.
> 
> \- The whole Kienzan plan from Chapter 6 never happened-Vegeta's fit as a fiddle when he fights Goku.
> 
> \- The whole fight actually followed the original manga a lot more closely than it does here, a choice I ultimately decided made the story feel somewhat dull as part of a what if series where things are supposed to change.
> 
> So, yeah. The writing process really is something at points.
> 
> To answer an expected question now for reference later: whether something's called its Japanese or English name is entirely down to what rolls off the tongue better for me when I read through it. "Solar Flare" sounds better than "Taiyo-ken," especially when read alongside "Kaio-ken," and "Kienzan" is about 11x more cool sounding than "Destructo Disc." So, yeah, just thought I'd clear that up in advance.
> 
> And to answer another question: the reason that he jumps to the Kaio-ken x 2 instead of working his way up, narratively, is because x 2 was the only way he could hope to match Vegeta. In a meta sense, the reason is that the Kaio-ken vs the Kaio-ken x 2's power increase in the original manga is utterly confusing. To rectify this, I'm just going to simplify things a bit with a bit of inventiveness on my part.
> 
> Under my interpretation, the Kaio-ken isn't really an increase normally-it's essentially a times one multiplier of one's maximum base power. However, as one can imagine, characters' power levels can decrease with exertion, and this is where the base Kaio-ken and its multipliers truly shine. The base Kaio-ken's true effect is to push the body to the maximum of one's base power regardless of one's own exertion-so, if your power level was 8,000 and has dropped to 6,000, the Kaio-ken will bring you back up to 8,000. Similarly, the x 2 pushes the body up to twice the maximum, the x 3 to three times, and so on. Now, the plus side of this is that it allows the user to fight at their maximum a bit longer, perhaps getting in a decisive blow on a weakened opponent that would've otherwise been too powerful to finish off. However, as anyone who jogs could tell you, trying to break into another run at full tilt just minutes after you half-fall down onto a park bench is only going to make you lose energy that much faster-and it'll hurt like hell, to boot.
> 
> Is there anything supporting this interpretation in canon? Not really. Does it make more sense than "x 1" and "x 2" somehow both doubling one's power? I'd say so, but that's just me.
> 
> Anyway, power levels:
> 
> Vegeta(wounded): 16,000
> 
> Vegeta(Galick Gun): 24,000(but at the cost of more of his energy)
> 
> Vegeta(post-Galick Gun and Power Ball): 15,000
> 
> Vegeta(Great Ape): 150,000
> 
> Goku(post-Kaio-ken Times Four): 6,000
> 
> With all that said, thank you all for reading, and be sure to leave reviews and comments on the work as always. Have a fantastic day, and take care.


	9. The Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku managed to gain the upper hand against Vegeta with the Kaioken technique, taught to him by the Lord of the Worlds. But now, Vegeta has found a way to transform into a Great Ape, even with the moon destroyed! Thus, Goku and company must find a way to defeat this monstrous foe, now ten times as strong as before.

In a vast desert still hundreds of miles out from their destination of West City, Gohan, Krillin, and a still-grumbling Piccolo flew at a relatively relaxed pace away from the heat of battle, Gohan allowed to relax due to Kintoun’s immense speed. However, no sooner had Gohan finally convinced himself that his father was perfectly fine than an indescribable ki power came to the surface of the fighters’ awareness. They stopped in their tracks, hovering in mid-air while they used their ki sensing to determine what was going on.

“This power...it simply can’t be Vegeta or Dad!” Gohan said. “If either were holding out that much power naturally, why wouldn’t they have used it earlier?”

“Unless...yes,” Piccolo thought aloud. “The ki feels...familiar. Wild, erratic, almost...animalistic.” He looked over to Gohan, who looked back in confusion, waiting for Piccolo to elaborate. “During your first night in the wastelands, you gazed upon the full moon and underwent a harrowing transformation into a giant ape-like creature. The only way that I could stop you from leveling the area and killing me and everyone else in your path was to blow up the moon, thus reverting you to your normal form.”

As Gohan was left to process this information, Krillin gasped in surprise. “Wait, Gohan does that too?! Goku did the same thing when we were kids, at the 21st Budokai! He just looked at the moon and lost all of his wits, becoming a giant monster and attacking innocent people indiscriminately!”

Piccolo grunted. “It’s as I suspected, then. This transformation is a natural ability of Goku’s race, and since it seems to require a tail-”

“Which Goku doesn’t have.” Krillin added on.

“-Then we must logically conclude that Vegeta has underwent it himself somehow, and increased his power tremendously.”

Gohan just managed to regain his composure. “B-but Dad doesn’t have a chance against that kind of power!”

“Nor do any of us, for that matter,” Piccolo amended.

“T-the only way to turn them back to normal, according to what Yamcha told me back then, is to cut off the Saiyan’s tail!” Krillin added. “But Goku doesn’t know that! We-agh, I should’ve told him what had really happened back then, but I-!”

“Stop whining, you!” Piccolo commanded. “Now isn’t the time to be caught up on what you could have done!”

“He’s right,” Gohan said. “Now is the time to fight.”

Piccolo couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the small child’s own warrior instinct beginning to show itself, while Krillin began sweating slightly. Gohan saw his newfound friend’s hesitation and looked him square in the eyes before responding.

“I’m not leaving my daddy behind, not when I can do something, anything, to help him!” he said simply. “And if you’re really his friend, then you aren’t going to, either.”

Gohan turned to Kintoun and gave the cloud specific directions on where to go. Although it stalled for a second, appearing to the others as if it were a person hesitating, it soon took off at breakneck speeds to the east, barreling straight for the enormous ki signature. Piccolo chuckled in spite of himself before setting off after him, his own immense speed allowing him to quickly match the cloud’s pace. With one last nervous gulp, Krillin looked towards the massive ki signature with a determined expression even as he continued to sweat nervously.

“They’re both crazy, but...at this point, I guess so am I!”

With that, he powered up to maximum and set out after them as fast as he could manage, all three racing against time to save Goku from this unimaginable threat.

* * *

 

Once his transformation was finally complete, the prince let out a triumphant roar which caused several nearby rock formations to crack under the pressure. But even as the beast cast his gaze onto Goku, still the warrior didn’t move a muscle, continuing to stare at him in utter terror.

“You...I’ve heard of a monster like you! You...you killed my grandpa!” he cried out in shock.

Vegeta paused in confusion before he began to laugh heartily, which in his current state came out as a series of deep bellows.

“What nonsense are you spewing now?! Haven’t you figured it out-I’ve never **been** on this planet before! How could **I** have killed this ‘grandfather’ of yours?” After a moment he chuckled once more. “Right, of course-you hit your head as a child, didn’t you? That’s how you lost your original programming-and, apparently, most of your brain cells. Well, since you didn’t catch on from my earlier explanation, I suppose I’ll have to spell it out for you: **all** Saiyans can do this, Kakarot! Provided they have a **tail** , anyway!”

As Vegeta’s words rang through his mind, other memories began rising up to the surface…

* * *

 

_“Now, remember, Goku: you are_ never _to look out the window on a full moon night, do you understand? Otherwise the monster will come back! Now, do you promise me that you won’t do it again from now on?”_

_Goku looked up at his grandfather, concern evident across his face as he recalled his appearance the night before: his clothes tattered, his chest heaving as if he had only narrowly escaped his own death. He didn’t want to see his grandfather like that ever again._

_“Yes, Grandpa. I promise.”_

* * *

 

_“Man, that was insane!” Krillin cried out in astonishment. “Why didn’t you tell me you turned into a giant monster like that?”_

_“Huh?” Goku replied, puzzled._

_“Wait, y-you don’t know...?” Krillin asked as Goku continued staring at him, confused. Krillin, deciding it might be a good idea not to discuss it further, changed the subject. “W-well, don’t give up now, Goku! Beat that Jackie Chun guy!”_

_As Goku walked off towards the arena, he shook his head slightly. “Wow...what a weirdo.”_

* * *

 

_“Hang on, hang on,” Goku interjected. “_ Why _do you need to cut off my tail again?”_

_“Well, Goku, remember when the moon was destroyed during the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai?” Kami, his latest martial arts teacher, asked. Goku nodded reluctantly._

_“I didn’t see it for myself, but yeah.”_

_For some reason, Kami began to sweat slightly. “R-right. Well, anyway, it is within my power to restore the moon, but in order to do so, I require certain...materials, connected to the event.”_

_“Okay...but what does my tail have to do with the moon being destroyed?”_

_Kami was silent for a moment before eventually opting to push forwards without an explanation. “Look, it’s all very complicated ‘magic stuff,’ as you once put it, and I’m sure you don’t want to sit through a lecture on the subject. Besides...I’m sure the tail gets in your way while fighting.”_

_Goku cocked his head to the side for a moment before ultimately nodding._

_“Well, alright...if it brings the moon back, then...sure.”_

* * *

 

As Goku processed what Vegeta had said, he gasped slightly before regaining his composure.

“So...that’s what you’re trying to tell me. That the one who killed my grandpa...and smashed up Pilaf’s Castle...and all of the buildings at the tournament...that was all... **me**.”

Vegeta simply snickered. “Oh, what do you know? A few brain cells were left over!”

_“Oh, Grandpa...I’m so sorry! I’m sorry that I disobeyed you, that I lost control back then and all of those other times! I’m sorry that I’m not strong enough to defeat this monster now! But...I suppose I’ll have all the time in the world to beg for forgiveness...when I see you in Other World.”_

With this thought, Goku grit his teeth as Vegeta finally lunged towards him.

“KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO!!!” Goku cried out, wincing at the additional pain of pushing himself back to twice his maximum. To his surprise, he found that even at this level, Vegeta could still barely react to his attacks, and after a series of ineffectual blows to his face, a single punch from the massive ape prince was enough to send Goku tumbling into the dirt, bleeding slightly from several small cuts and bruises.

Vegeta laughed once more. “Give it up, Kakarot! You don’t stand a chance! I’m ten times stronger in this form, and just as agile as when I am at normal size! What’s more, whatever power you used to surpass me seems to damage your body tremendously! You simply can’t hope to measure up to the power of a Saiyan elite!”

Goku looked up at Vegeta, dazed as a result of his injuries. _“He’s right, there’s no way I can overpower him or outmaneuver him as I am now! Even the Spirit Bomb might not be enough to finish this guy off...but I have to try anyway! I just need a distraction! Just a few minutes!”_

With that, Goku leapt up into the air once more as Vegeta looked on, bemused by his futile resistance.

_“Let’s see...I only saw him use it twice, way back in the 22nd Tournament...here’s hoping my memory serves!”_ He put his hands to his face, fingers spread apart as he closed his eyes in concentration. Vegeta only had just enough time to recognize the technique before Goku unleashed it.

“SOLAR FLARE!!”

With no time to react, Vegeta was left blinded once more, howling in agony as Goku slipped away as fast as his wrecked body could enable him and eventually landing on top of an open rock formation a hundred meters away. He spread out his legs and held his arms aloft in the air.

“All right...here’s good. Now...forests! Oceans! People and animals, and every other living thing which calls this planet home! Please, lend me just a small portion of your power!”

No sooner had he said these words than tiny, almost invisible specks of blue ki already began to gravitate towards his body, steadily increasing in magnitude as he stretched out his awareness towards more and more of the ki signatures inhabiting the planet. Many of the larger specks of ki he gathered he could even recognize, once he had gotten used to energy sensing-Nam, who he’d fought in the 21st tournament; Korin and Kami, two of his greatest mentors; as well as a somewhat large speck he couldn’t identify for some reason, coming from the direction of Jingle Village. And, of course, there was the energy of Yamcha, Bulma, Chi Chi, and all of his other friends, all placing their faith in him to destroy this menace once and for all.

After finally gathering all of the energy he could, his body began to pulse with the sheer magnitude of ki flowing through it. Goku smiled, enjoying the feeling tremendously, and began condensing the power he’d gathered into a single energy sphere. However, no sooner had he formed the sphere and readied himself to throw it than Vegeta finally found him, launching a massive ki blast from his gaping maw which grew beyond even his own great size. Although lacking in power, it was nevertheless powerful enough to slam into Goku before he had time to react, vaporizing the formation he had been standing on and sending him careening into the ground several dozen meters away. Just before he hit the ground, he became marginally aware of a slight pulsing sensation in his head-the tell of detecting other ki signatures. However, the waves of pain quickly overrode all other thoughts.

“Damn! Shouldn’t have...done it...so close to him! Stupid...so **stupid**!” he muttered with clenched teeth.

After shakily rising to his feet, he could only look on helplessly as Vegeta landed with a massive crash a few meters away from him.

“You’re a crafty fighter, Kakarot, I’ll give you that. But your luck has just about run out, it seems.”

Goku could only chuckle, his speech somewhat slurred by his injuries.

“Looks like it. I used up...all my energy...trying to make that sphere. I’ve got...nothing left.”

Vegeta’s monstrous jaw became set in the closest thing to a grin he was capable of.

“All I needed to hear...”

With that, Vegeta began to advance towards Goku, who succeeded in dodging the first few blows only to find himself backhanded into a nearby rock face. As Goku felt several bones in his back give way from the force of the impact, he only had a few seconds’ respite before he heard a sickening crunch as Vegeta’s massive foot landed directly onto his legs.

“ **AAAGGGHHH!!!!** ” Goku cried out in agony as he felt all sensation in his legs slip away from him. More so than the sheer pain, however, his suffering derived from his anger-anger at himself for not being strong enough. As his life flashed before his eyes, Goku could recall many times when he had been bested, both physically and mentally. He had nearly died at the hands of Taopaipai, was left for dead by both Tambourine and King Piccolo, was left with only one working limb by King Piccolo at full power, and, of course, killed in the battle with Raditz. Yet in none of these instances was the gap in power quite this lopsided, his disadvantage laid out so plainly. He had, quite simply, no options left. His Kaio-ken had left him drained, and his Spirit Bomb had been ripped away from him. Now, he had only just enough energy to remain conscious even in spite of the immense pain-and, he later realized, just enough for one last act of defiance.

In the span of an instant, while Vegeta sneered over his opponent, Goku charged up and fired a weak ki blast from his fingertips, piercing the soft material of Vegeta’s left eye with little difficulty. As the prince cried out in pain and stepped back a few paces, Goku smiled with a hint of both pleasure and sadness, doing his best to try and accept his inevitable failure.

“AGH!! You...you scarred my face, you low-class scum!” Vegeta cried out in protest as his massive hands fumbled for Goku’s limp body. “I’m not going to wait for you to slip away quietly, Kakarot! I...am going...to **savor** this!”

Without another word, the prince began tightening his grip, and Goku howled in agony as he felt his ribs begin to buckle and crack.

* * *

 

As all of this was going on, Yajirobe cowered behind a different rock face, his first hiding spot having been blown to bits by Vegeta’s ki blast. For a brief second, he had felt the impulse to help his old acquaintance, but one look at Vegeta’s massive frame effortlessly dissuaded him from that path. Thus, he continued to passively observe until he felt three ki signatures land behind him, causing him to turn around rapidly.

“What the-?! Oh, hey, Krillin, what’s up?” Yajirobe began, skipping over the child he had not yet met before before finally realizing that he had failed to process Piccolo’s inclusion in the group. He jumped backwards in terror before Krillin reassured him that Piccolo was more or less on their side. “Anyway, what are you guys doing here?!”

“I might ask you the same question,” Piccolo replied with a scowl. “How long have you been here?” Yajirobe’s silence seemed to confirm Piccolo’s initial assumption. “And you’ve done **nothing**?”

“We don’t have time to argue, Piccolo!” Krillin snapped. “Look, that monster that Vegeta’s become-the only way to turn him back is to cut off his tail! Now, I’m thinking that if Gohan distracts him from the front, I can hit him with a Kienzan from the back to cut off his tail. Then you, Piccolo, hit him with your Special Beam Cannon while he’s dazed, and the rest of us can finish him off. And Yajirobe can cover for me just in case I don’t hit him.”

Piccolo simply scoffed. “I don’t know if we should place any aspect of the plan on this coward,” he said, jerking his head towards Yajirobe.

Yajirobe himself bristled at the comment. “What you call ‘cowardice,’ I call ‘common sense’, you jolly green jackass!”

“Alright, listen here, you-!”

“ **Guys**!!” Krillin interjected, pointing towards Goku as he continued to be crushed. “We’re losing time!”

Piccolo nodded, although he also began to telepathically relay an alternative plan to the others, which Krillin ultimately agreed to. Piccolo left Yajirobe behind as he leapt for cover along with the others, leaving Yajirobe plagued with indecision. After several seconds, he eventually decided to follow suit, moving towards a somewhat close rock formation and hiding behind it, waiting to strike if need be. Meanwhile, Gohan moved out into the open, ready to confront the massive tyrant.

“Hey, you! Leave my daddy alone!” he cried out, not quite replicating the righteous anger he’d felt during his last fight with the prince. The prince simply turned around, Goku still firmly in his grasp, and laughed.

“Why, look here, Kakarot! Your little half breed brat has come to watch you die!”

Gohan stepped back a pace, horrified of the prince’s immense power. Vegeta continued chuckling.

“This is why I love **family**. Now, look closely, whelp! Observe...the proper order of things.”

As he tightened his grip on Goku even further, laughing maniacally, he suddenly felt the air around him warm up slightly, and he leaped to the right just in time to see a Kamehameha soar past him. He resumed his laughter as he turned himself around and observed Gohan’s shocked expression.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? You Earthlings are sentimental to a fault! I knew that your little midget friend or the womanish one would come back and try to attack me with...with...” He caught a glimpse of something in his peripheral vision, yet paused as he turned around to focus on the source of the attack. Where he had been expecting to find Krillin lending support to his friend…

He instead saw Piccolo, sporting a sinister grin as he held his hands out in the familiar gesture before leaping away towards the rocks.

_“What?! How?! Why would_ he- _?!”_ Vegeta thought in a panic until he was further distracted by a burning sensation at the base of his tail and across the furs of his back, ducking just in time to look back up and see a large Kienzan soaring off into the distance. Vegeta’s blank white eyes widened in terror as his entire body trembled, and he realized what Krillin had done. “My...tail! Damn...it...!!!!”

With one last gasp of anger and shock, Vegeta slowly reverted to his normal form, huffing and panting as even more of his energy slipped away from prolonged usage of the Oozaru form. He looked down towards where his tail had been a moment before, but found only a burned stump of fur amidst a series of scorch marks as a result of Krillin’s attack. Vegeta’s brow furrowed in anger as he clenched his teeth at this latest insult. He looked around until he spotted Krillin, having landed on a nearby cliff after throwing the disc.

“You...first you make me shed my noble blood...and now, you cut off my tail?! I...will **not** stand for this!”

With a roar of fury, the prince leapt towards Krillin, but found himself intercepted by a kick from Gohan. His anger granted him the strength to land a few hits on Vegeta in his weakened state, but Vegeta was quickly able to get the upper hand, staggering him with a punch to the gut.

“I guess the brat wanted to die first,” he said with a sneer. “Well, tell you what?” He picked the boy up by the scruff of the neck and tossed him up into the air before flying up after him, sending him flying into the ground with a powerful kick mere feet away from where Goku was left crippled. “I’ll let you die next to daddy,” he finished. Mere seconds later, he was able to casually sidestep Krillin’s attempt at a punch before countering with his own, sending him crashing into the ground as well.

Piccolo grimaced from behind his cover as the others fell. _“Damn it! He’s still too powerful! Those two were supposed to buy me time to charge up, but at this rate, he’ll find me before I can finish! Of course, I might have a chance if that human with the sword thought to help, but a gutless coward like that would never-!”_

“HYAAAAHH!!!!!” Yajirobe cried out as he leapt from behind a rock, his trusty katana in hand, and aimed a slash at Vegeta’s back with all of his strength. Surprisingly, the attack actually did something, piercing the prince’s armor and even nicking his skin slightly. As Vegeta stumbled forwards in surprise, Yajirobe attempted to turn tail and run, but was swiftly intercepted by the prince and kicked into unconsciousness after colliding with a nearby boulder.

“Tch! Didn’t see him there,” Vegeta remarked with a slight grunt of pain. “Now, where did that Namekian fool go?” He glanced around the immediate area for a moment, noticing too late the Special Beam Cannon flying towards his chest. He twisted out of the way of the beam, leaving it to explode closer to his left hip. Piccolo grimaced as the beam once again failed to pierce Vegeta’s skin, but consoled himself with the sound of several of Vegeta’s ribs breaking as a result of the impact. He soon found himself on the defensive, however, as Vegeta fired several ki blasts in the direction of his own, a ploy which forced him to leap away from his hiding place and fall within the prince’s sight. With noticeably more effort, the prince took to the sky once more, meeting Piccolo in the air with a punch to the jaw which Piccolo only barely managed to block. Their exchange of blows continued for some time, but it became clear to Piccolo that Vegeta still outclassed him. _“Still...”_ he thought, _“I’m not going to go quietly!”_

* * *

 

As Vegeta and Piccolo continued to fight, Goku reached out to Gohan’s mind.

_“Gohan, listen to me! You have to help out Piccolo! He’s not going to last much longer!”_

Gohan struggled to rise to his feet, coughing as a result of the injuries he suffered. “I don’t...I don’t know what difference I’ll make.”

_“You’ll make all the difference in the world, son! You just need to keep him busy as long as possible so that Krillin can get here! Please!”_

Gohan stumbled before nodding. “I’ll...I’ll do my best.” With that, he set out into the sky, surprising Vegeta with a kick to his wounded side. As Vegeta winced at the additional pain, Piccolo was able to get a hit in and send him back several paces.

“Excellent, Gohan!” Piccolo said with a grin. “With the two of us together, we might just stand a chance!”

“I doubt that very much,” Vegeta interrupted, chuckling as he recovered from the surprise attack. “You have some power, Namekian, but it’s still nothing compared to the might of a-”

“Saiyan elite, yeah, yeah, we heard you the first dozen times,” Piccolo interrupted, causing Gohan to laugh.

“Grrr! You’ll regret mocking me, you insolent slug!” Vegeta retorted as he flew towards the pair and reentered combat.

Meanwhile, Krillin stumbled towards Goku’s broken body at his telepathic urging, barely keeping himself from collapsing just as he reached his right side.

“Great...” Goku said weakly. “Now, Krillin, I need you...to listen closely...”

“What is it, Goku?”

“King Kai...taught me a powerful technique while I was...training with him, called the Spirit Bomb. What you do is...you gather all of the energy you can...from living things, and form it into one really powerful...sphere of ki. I tried using one on Vegeta, but...it didn’t work, and I lost most of the energy.”

Krillin’s face fell. “...Huh.”

“I’ve still got enough within me...to finish him off as he is now, though!” Goku reassured him. “But my body’s too broken...to do anything with it. Which means...it’s up to you, Krillin!”

Krillin was, understandably, confused. “Wait, why not give it to Piccolo? He’s a lot stronger than I am.”

“The Spirit Bomb...harms those with evil in their hearts.”

“Oh...right,” Krillin said, glancing towards Piccolo as he continued to fight Vegeta alongside Gohan.

“He’s getting better,” Goku remarked idly. “But I couldn’t risk it. You’re the only one...experienced enough to use it on him! Now take my hand, quickly!”

Krillin hurriedly complied, suddenly feeling a rush of energy enter into his body through his left arm. As he staggered backwards, amazed by the raw power even a fraction of the Spirit Bomb possessed, Goku continued to speak to him.

“Remember, Krillin-we’ve only got one shot! You’ve got to...feel his ki...and strike true! Got it?!”

Krillin nodded, and began trying to calm himself down as he gradually pinpointed the precise location of Vegeta’s ki signature. Just as he had narrowed down where the prince was, he felt Gohan’s signature begin to decline, and opened his eyes to find Gohan on the ground some distance away from him, bleeding from several brutal injuries. Piccolo tried to intercept Vegeta’s next attack on the boy, but by this time the Namekian warrior had begun to tire, and Vegeta easily swatted Piccolo aside. Deciding to forego the child’s suffering for a moment, he stepped towards Piccolo, chuckling slightly.

“I may no longer have the strength to destroy this planet outright anymore, but I can at least deprive you fools of one luxury before I take my leave!” He began charging up a finger beam and aimed it at Piccolo. “Your species may have remarkable regenerative abilities, but with so little energy remaining, I imagine that this will be enough to finish you off.”

Piccolo struggled to get up as he met the prince’s eyes. “Wait...what of your wish?”

Vegeta chuckled. “Don’t think that you can bargain for your life, slug. Kakarot already informed me that this planet’s Dragon Balls would not be reactivated for another year. As a result, there is no longer any reason for me to keep you alive.”

As Vegeta spoke, Gohan gradually managed to stand up and tried to leap at Vegeta once more, only for Vegeta to dodge his attack and knee him in the gut in one fluid motion. As Gohan tumbled to the ground right next to Piccolo, gasping in pain as he coughed up a few drops of blood, Vegeta continued. “However, those trinkets and your presence on this planet did confirm one thing for me: the legend of the Namekian power spheres...may just hold some merit after all.” He leaned closer to Piccolo as he sneered at his defeated enemy. “I’ll just have to pop by your home planet and see for myself, won’t I? Who knows? I might even give your people a small payment...for their lost son’s misdeeds.” He began to laugh maniacally as Piccolo barely managed to stand up, still unable to dodge from such close range. Gohan grabbed onto Piccolo’s ankle, a gesture which Vegeta failed to take notice of as he continued to charge the finger beam, wanting to ensure that his target would die. In an instant, Gohan poured every bit of energy he had left into Piccolo’s body, falling to the ground unconscious as Piccolo’s Namekian regeneration began to heal some of his wounds.

At this, Vegeta took pause and was about to finally fire the beam when he felt the nearby temperature rise, usually the indication of some kind of attack. Vegeta turned to the left just in time to see a brilliant blue ball of ki speeding towards him. Taking advantage of this instant, Piccolo leaped backwards while simultaneously stretching out his arms to grab the prince, leaving him stunned and stuck in place just long enough for the ball to hit home, completely enveloping both the prince and Piccolo’s stretched out arms. As the attack collided, both of them felt a particularly painful new sensation as the ki blast seemed to be damaging not just their bodies, but their very souls. Piccolo staggered away as the sections of his arms hit by the blast were torn apart, retracting his arms and allowing his regeneration to take its course. With this anchor gone, Vegeta was left screaming in fury and pain as the Spirit Bomb soared off into the distance.

When the blue ball faded from view, Piccolo picked up Gohan and walked over to where Goku and Krillin had been left.

“Woo hoo!!” Krillin cried out triumphantly. “Take **that** , you freaky alien! Whoo!!!”

Although Piccolo most definitely found Krillin’s enthusiasm to be annoying at times, in this case it was once again infectious, and he chuckled slightly at the idea that that arrogant fool had finally been defeated.

Until...he felt a faint sensation in the back of his mind, and his eyes widened in shock.

“How? HOW?! The ki from that sphere was enormous!”

Krillin’s jubilant smile gave way to a look of utter horror. “Y-you don’t mean-?!”

“Yes!” Piccolo said, gritting his teeth in anger. “The bastard...he isn’t dead yet...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUUUNNNNN!
> 
> Yeah, Vegeta just refused to die in this arc, huh? Surprising, considering that arguably weaker attacks later on in the Namek saga leave him in a pretty bad way even when he's stronger. Just goes to show that power levels are bs. ;)
> 
> Anywho, Vegeta's not a monkey and the Spirit Bomb's been used up, which means that we'll be heading into the final section of this first iconic fight! Piccolo and Krillin are the only ones left standing after Vegeta's assault. Can the two of them work together and find a way to defeat this troublesome tyrannical terror? Find out next week, on Dragon Ball Z-uh, Hermit. Yeah!
> 
> Not too much to comment on in the writing department, nobody asked any new questions, and no really notable power levels other than Vegeta during this chapter, who's at...let's say 10,000 after using the Oozaru form, but because of his wounds, he can't exercise it fully.
> 
> Also, to address a comment from an anonymous user: official power level for Great Ape 'Geets is 180k, and with those kind of injuries, that sure ain't right, so I wanted to bring it to kind of a middle ground. He gets more screwed up later, of course.
> 
> So...have a fantastic day, and I'll see you guys next week!


	10. The King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the power of the Spirit Bomb is not enough to defeat Vegeta, and now only Piccolo, Goku's sworn enemy, is left to defend the planet Earth from Vegeta's wrath.

Krillin trembled as he too became aware of the Saiyan Prince's ki-considerably weakened, sure, but fearsome nonetheless. "Oh, come on!" he muttered, his fear evident. "What does it  **take**?!" Piccolo simply scowled off towards the distance, eventually reaching a decision and turning towards Krillin.

"Can the fat one fly?"

Krillin was surprised by the question, but eventually responded. "N-no, he never learned how. Didn't really learn much of anything, to be honest..."

"Why am I not surprised?" Piccolo remarked, annoyed. "Alright. Give me what energy you can spare, and leave this place," he commanded.

Krillin looked up towards his unblinking eyes as he processed his request. "A-are you sure? Y-you really think you can take Vegeta on by yourself?"

Piccolo scoffed. "Whether I can or cannot is irrelevant. He has insulted my honor, and for that, I will not rest until one of us is dead. What's more, I am as of now the strongest fighter of this world, and you are the only one capable of getting Gohan and the others to safety."

"Since when have you cared about anyone's safety?" Krillin said, a question forming in his mind.

Piccolo stuttered slightly as he responded. "W-will you follow my orders or will you not?!"

"Okay, okay!" Krillin replied shakily, still intimidated by the Namekian warrior. "But you better not die out there, alright? We may still need the Dragon Balls."

Piccolo chuckled. "I doubt you'll have the chance to use them again regardless," he said ominously. "Now  **go**!"

Krillin looked back at him, puzzled and vaguely concerned, before eventually shaking his head and placing his hand in Piccolo's. When he gave him what energy he could spare, he set about gathering the others. Goku used what strength he could to grab onto Gohan from Krillin's left shoulder, leaving Yajirobe to be carried over Krillin's right shoulder. As he took off, he spared one last look at Piccolo as he unleashed the entirety of his newly gained ki, powering up back to the maximum of his power. When the group had faded from sight, Piccolo paused for a moment as a memory of yesterday's events bubbled back up to the surface of his thoughts:

_'If I am to die in this coming battle, I shall do so on **my**  terms.'_

Without another word, he took off into the sky and raced towards the location of Vegeta's ki signature.

* * *

Vegeta clawed his way out of what remained of the mountain he'd finally crashed into, every cell in his body still screaming in pain from the Earthlings' latest attack against him. Once he emerged from the rubble, he staggered, barely managing to get up onto his feet, before falling back down to his knees and striking at the ground in a fit of rage.

"Damn them! DAMN THEM!" he roared, each word adding emphasis to his strikes. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans! One of the galaxy's strongest warriors! I cannot-I WILL NOT-die on this forsaken mudhole!"

With a supreme effort, even as his body howled in protest, he powered up to the best he could manage in his current condition. He flung out a ki blast at a nearby cliff, both to test his power and let off steam, and was disappointed when the nearby area only shook slightly as a result of the impact. Having become familiar with the strength of his former associate, he cursed heavily.

_"DAMN IT! I, Prince Vegeta, reduced to a power less than NAPPA'S?!"_

He continued to strike out in anger, but eventually managed to calm himself.  _"All...all isn't lost. Even this severely wounded, I'm stronger than any of them individually, and Kakarot and his brat were incapacitated. I could still easily kill the midget before he uses that disc attack, and at that point, the only one powerful enough to seriously oppose me is-"_

He looked up and saw a familiar green figure rapidly approaching his position before landing ten feet away from him.

"Tch.  **Of course**  you show up," Vegeta said scowling. Piccolo simply stood there silently, arms crossed. Vegeta glanced around the area. "Well, if you're here, then where is that midget friend of yours hiding, eh? Around  **here** , perhaps?!" Vegeta launched a ki blast at a nearby rock formation, shattering it to bits, but grunted when he saw that Krillin was not there.

"I am no ally of those fools," Piccolo replied, chuckling. "I have come alone, to defeat you with my own power! And once you are dead, I will be free to rule over this world!"

Vegeta looked off at him, processing his statements, before chuckling. "Riiight. So why try and save the brat earlier in our last fight?" Piccolo simply grimaced. "And of course, if your midget friend isn't here, then he's probably off ferrying Kakarot and those other idiots somewhere 'safe,' correct? Between his stupid sentiment and his concern for your Dragon Balls, I highly doubt he'd leave you to fight alone."

Piccolo said nothing, the only indication of his emotions being a single bead of sweat on his brow. Vegeta chuckled once more. "That's what I thought. You act all sinister, Namekian, what with your talk about being the 'Demon King' and ruling this mudball with an iron fist. But you know what I think? I think, deep down, you're just as sentimental as the rest of those idiots. I think the real reason you've come down here trying to face me alone is because you think they'll get a chance to escape if you do. Well, let me tell you something, slug:  **they won't**. I'll see to that myself."

Piccolo assumed a combat stance, conflicted. Part of him knew that, at least regarding Gohan, the prince's claims were true. The other part, the part still dominated by his father's spirit, refused to acknowledge this. "You're wrong," he eventually said, seething with a quiet fury as the two sides of him continued to struggle.

Vegeta smirked. "Is that right? Well...how about you show me?"

With this last statement, Vegeta powered up and let out a battle cry before flying towards his opponent with all of his speed. Piccolo kicked off into the air as well, and managed to meet the prince's incoming charge with his own, sending a shockwave rippling throughout the area as neither fighter was pushed back even an inch. Upon floating backwards a few feet, the Saiyan prince lunged at Piccolo and unleashed a flurry of strikes, growling ever louder as each one was blocked, albeit with difficulty.

Their clash continued for several minutes, neither side able to gain a decisive advantage. However, Vegeta, desperate for an opening, rushed Piccolo with a full on charge, allowing Piccolo to grab both of his arms. However, before he could respond, Vegeta suddenly jerked his head towards him with all of his strength, headbutting him and leaving him stunned. Before he could recover, Vegeta went on the offensive with another series of powerful strikes, sending Piccolo flying around the immediate area until Vegeta finished with a punch towards the ground. Vegeta then flew down, intending to wind him with another powerful strike, but Piccolo managed to recover and opened up his mouth.

Before Vegeta could react, a yellow beam of ki shot out towards Vegeta. Weakened as he was, Vegeta could only barely get out of the way, being hit in the side by the beam and knocked off of his intended course, sending him hurtling into the ground as well. As Piccolo got back up, he looked off towards the rubble Vegeta picked his way through. When both warriors were back on their feet, Vegeta spared one look at the Namekian and scowled.

"GRRR! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU FOOL!"

Piccolo simply smirked as the prince flew low towards him, and fired off a ki blast in response. Vegeta instinctively flew higher to avoid the blast, which to his surprise collided with the ground only a few feet ahead of his position, rather than flying past where he had been. A cloud of dust and debris momentarily blocked Vegeta's vision, forcing him to blow it all away with a kiai. However, the cloud served its purpose, distracting Vegeta just long enough for a familiar beam of ki to fly towards him and explode upon colliding with his right leg. Vegeta howled in pain as he heard the crunch of bones being broken, and he once again lost his balance and barely managed to land safely on the ground. Piccolo began walking towards him, his pleasure evident.

"How?!" Vegeta cried out in rage and pain. "How did you-?!"

"During my training in preparation for your arrival, I developed a rapid, two-handed version of the Special Beam Cannon," Piccolo replied smugly. "It's not nearly as potent...but it was evidently enough."

Before Vegeta could respond, Piccolo rapidly closed the gap and punched the prince in the stomach, leaving him winded and open to an accompanying kick which sent him crashing into a rock formation several meters away. Satisfied that the prince was nearly finished, Piccolo began calmly walking towards the fallen prince's position. As Vegeta clawed himself out of the debris, he continued to struggle to stand even in spite of his broken leg, finally managing a sort of half-crouch, half-stumble punctuated by another sickening crunch. Piccolo had been drawing two fingers towards his forehead, preparing yet another Special Beam Cannon to finally pierce the prince's chest and end him once and for all, but paused as Vegeta got back up. Piccolo hesitated for a split second, stunned by his tenacity, before Vegeta held out his hands shakily and began charging up a sphere of purple ki between them.

"THIS...ENDS...NOW!" he shouted in fury as the technique reached its apex. "GALICK GUN... **FIRE**!"

As the purple beam shot out towards Piccolo, the Namekian was taken aback, and only barely managed to respond with his own signature technique.

"MASENKO... **HAAA**!" he cried out as the yellow beam of ki flew to meet Vegeta's attack, the two beams colliding with immense force as each warrior sunk everything they had into the other's demise. At first, it seemed as if Piccolo's Masenko was gaining ground slightly, but at this, Vegeta simply yelled with even greater determination, and the Galick Gun rose to meet its challenge. Both warriors grunted in exertion and pain, veins bulging and popping as they continued to struggle for a solid minute. Nearby rock formations broke apart, a massive storm began to accumulate around the area, and the ground itself shook at the enormity of their power.

When neither technique could move past the other after two minutes had passed, however, the two warriors faltered ever so slightly at the same time, disrupting the cohesion of their respective beams for only a second. Nevertheless, this disruption was enough to cause a change in the swirling vortex of ki which stood in the center between their two attacks. What had previously been a balanced reaction of opposing forces attempting to overwhelm the other began to break down, becoming unstable as the two wells of ki began to mix. Before either fighter realized what was happening, a purely white sphere of ki formed as a result of this mixing, rapidly expanding outward and enveloping the entire region in a massive explosion. With one final scream, Piccolo and Vegeta were completely engulfed by the explosion of ki, while every rock formation and cliff in the area was completely atomized.

* * *

"H...how much longer?"

The question, spoken weakly by a rapidly fading Goku, was posed while Krillin was briskly carrying the group towards where he had sensed Yamcha's ki, along with every other non-fighter.

"Not too long-just hang in there, buddy!" Krillin replied tersely.

"Don't know...hold on..." he said, and Krillin knew that he was referring to his son, still unconscious as a result of the earlier battle and threatening to fall out of Goku's grasp.

"You're going to have to for a few more minutes, Goku, cuz I won't be able to catch him if you drop him!"

Suddenly, Krillin's own grip was threatened by a powerful gust of wind emanating from the region which they had departed. With a renewed effort, he managed to reestablish his hold onto his friends, and took off with renewed speed.

"What was...?" Goku attempted to ask.

"Don't worry about it," Krillin answered briskly, while his thoughts drifted to other channels.  _"If it weren't for this whole 'life link' thing, I'd be hoping that they take each other out, but as it stands...come on, Piccolo! You've got to make it through this!"_

Suddenly, however, something Piccolo had said entered back into his mind, followed quickly by a hurried comment he'd heard from Goku before his own fight with Vegeta. Nervously, Krillin gulped, and angled his head slightly towards his companion.

"Goku?" he asked timidly.

"Yeah...?" Goku replied.

"When you were talking about Kami earlier...what were you going to say?"

Goku's eyes widened ever so slightly before drooping once again from the pain and nausea. He struggled to stay conscious enough to answer Krillin fully, but could only get out the words, "He...dying..."

Krillin gulped once more. "A-and you said before that if he dies...?"

"Dragon Balls...gone..." Goku finished before drifting off to sleep, only managing to keep his grip on Gohan through sheer instinctive reflexes.

Beads of sweat began to trickle across Krillin's brow. "The Dragon Balls...gone?" He stretched his senses out towards Tien, whose energy was only barely perceptible to him, as well as Piccolo's own distant energy. "That's why..." he muttered, perhaps finally understanding something of Piccolo's thought process after all this time.

"So...if Vegeta was wrong..." he resumed before stopping. He wasn't going to think about it. He simply shut his mouth and poured a slightly greater amount of energy into his flight, knowing now just how much more important it was that nobody else die today.

* * *

The brilliant white light which had settled over the desert finally dissipated along with smoke and debris kicked up by the explosion. As both Piccolo and Vegeta laid a fair distance across from each other, motionless, the full measure of the destruction they caused could be readily observed. Every rock formation in the area was gone, the ground being rendered uniformly flat for miles around. If there had indeed been anything alive in this desert, it would've been completely vaporized, not even the ashes remaining after their deaths. And, of course, both warriors were peppered with burn marks and cuts from errant debris and the force of the explosion, not to mention ruptures in blood vessels already under immense physical strain. For several minutes after the smoke cleared, neither one made any sort of move.

Once five minutes had passed, however, a loud whirring sound could be heard overhead as a silver spherical object began to touch down. As it landed, a small piece of scrap metal was kicked over towards it by an errant gust of wind-the remains of Vegeta's remote control panel, which had been torn apart in the explosion. Now, having activated its emergency retrieval protocol, the pod's access hatch swung open, in the hopes that its owner would be able to make it in. For several more minutes, nothing happened, until at last, one of the warriors' hands twitched.

With a panting groan of exhaustion and pain, Vegeta, scarred, burned, bloody, and broken, barely managed to roll his body over and crawl slowly towards the hatch, trailing blood as he went. After finally lumbering inside, the pod, registering that someone had indeed entered, shut the hatch and initiated its takeoff sequence. The loud whirring sound returned once more as its engines resumed operation, and no sooner did Piccolo at last begin to move as well. Unable to pull himself off the ground, his vision blurry from nausea, he could only focus on the image of Vegeta's pod taking off and preparing to exit the Earth's atmosphere for a single second before his eyes glazed over, and he collapsed once more.

* * *

When his eyes opened again, it was dark, although he could tell he wasn't in the same place. This time, Piccolo discovered, he could move much more easily, his regeneration having repaired most of his wounds while he was out, albeit leaving him with barely any ki left. He reached out with his senses, finding a handful of small signatures, but found he could not see anything. With a slight grunt of effort, he unleashed a small kiai, opening up the blinds on the window next to him and letting moonlight into what Piccolo now realized was a house. A familiar house.

Piccolo suddenly heard a door creak slightly, and got up with a start. He raised a hand, preparing to fire the largest ki blast he could currently muster, startling the person opening the door and causing them to throw it back on its hinges out of fear. Piccolo relaxed somewhat when he realized who it was: that one blue haired woman-or was it blonde?-whose name escaped him. To his observation, even in her panic, she seemed...distant.

"Why have you brought me here?" he asked pointedly, lowering his hand and allowing her to take a few breaths.

"It...it was Krillin's idea," she replied after a few seconds. "After he brought Goku and the others to the hospital, he went back to where you were. According to him, you were in pretty bad shape, and he wasn't sure you'd make it. Plus, if we brought you into a hospital, it'd give the doctors heart attacks, so..."

Piccolo scowled as the rebellious part of his psyche felt ever so slightly...touched by the gesture.

"Well, he has his answer, evidently!" he said gruffly. "He shouldn't have bothered."

As he said this, a step away from the woman towards the window left him slightly buckled, falling to his knees as pain flared up throughout his leg. Launch took a cautious step towards him, but one glare from him froze her in place. He shakily got back up before finishing his walk towards the window, opening it and allowing the cold night air and the smell of the sea to rush into the room. Launch took a cautious couple of steps towards him once more, her confidence slowly building the longer he didn't vaporize her on sight. Eventually, she managed to make it next to him at the window, whereupon they looked out in silence for a moment.

"What of the others?" he asked reluctantly, surprising her.

"Uh, f-from what I hear, Goku and Yamcha are stabilizing. Mr. Yajirobe's still there with a severe concussion, but they're optimistic. Krillin only suffered a few bruises-he just got discharged an hour ago. Took off into the sky immediately-no idea where he's gone. Gohan's injuries are more severe, but the doctors are hopeful that he'll be okay in a day or two."

To her surprise, Piccolo almost sounded like he breathed a sigh of relief at this news, before quickly smothering it with a cough. She decided to stop at that, hoping Piccolo would drop the subject, but unfortunately for her, he proceeded to ask the one question she hoped he wouldn't ask.

"And what about that Tien person? From what I could tell before, he seemed to be in pretty serious condition."

Launch froze, and her lips tightened as all of those horrible images from earlier in the day resurfaced. After a deep, yet incredibly shaky, breath, she managed to muster up a response.

"Y-yeah, he's...not doing very well."

Piccolo noticed the change in her tone, but, being so poorly versed in human emotional cues, couldn't quite decipher it.

"Is he dying?"

Launch started once again, causing Piccolo to raise an eyebrow in confusion.  _"Why is this human getting so worked up over a simple question?"_

"N-no. At least, I...I d-don't think so," Launch replied shakily.  _"I shouldn't have left,"_  she told herself. _"I should've stayed. That's what people do, right? They stay with the people they care about for as long as they can, as often as they can, until they get better. Chi Chi stayed with Goku, Bulma stayed with Yamcha, so why did I-?"_  Once more, images flashed through her mind. All manner of tubes and wires poking out of Tien's body, keeping him alive on water and God only knows what nutrients they put into those things. The doctor's face when he looked at her. Her signature on all of those papers, granting her and her alone the right to decide when Tien will die-

"C-can I ask you something?!" she blurted out, so suddenly that this time, Piccolo was the one who was startled. She stuttered for a few seconds before continuing, "The Dragon Balls, they can do some pretty amazing things. Could they-?"

"Probably," Piccolo replied. Even he wasn't so dense as to not understand what she was trying to ask. "Although I don't understand why you can't just use a Senzu bean."

Launch's face darkened slightly. "B-Bulma asked about it for Yamcha's arm while I was-" she stopped herself from speaking further before changing tack. "He said that they only amplify the human body's natural healing process. So, if the human body couldn't possibly recover..."

Piccolo nodded relatively dispassionately. "I see. Couldn't hurt to try, but if they truly would not function, then he may be lost."

Launch's eyes widened slightly, panic setting in. She could already tell from this limited interaction that Piccolo was a man for whom blunt honesty was natural. "W-what do you mean? Can't the Dragon Balls-?"

"The Dragon Balls' existence is directly tied to the life of their creator, Kami, with whom I share a life link," Piccolo explained, to Launch's confusion. He sighed audibly before simplifying it: "If he dies, I die, and if I die, he dies. And through this link, each individual can tell when the other is close to death."

Launch's face fell. "Y-you mean-?"

" **I'm**  fine, but the old fool probably has around a month, maybe a month and a half, at most. Which means, of course..." Piccolo added, brooding. So distracted was he by the reemergence of this knowledge that he failed to notice Launch hurriedly departing until he heard the front door closed with some slight forcefulness. Upon registering this, Piccolo at first wondered whether he should've mentioned what Vegeta had told him. Deciding to wait a few minutes, he then turned towards the window once more before an impulse seized upon him without warning.

_"It's late. Most of the fools will be leaving. The warriors from before are weakened or worse, and your strength is returning."_

He heard it clearly in his mind. His father's voice. The voice he'd had to listen to almost nonstop for the last 9 years.

_"Don't-"_

_"Goku is alone."_

_"No-"_

_"He is the only one left who can oppose you, and he is battered and broken."_

_"Stop!"_

_"The Dragon Balls cannot save him anymore."_

_"He is likely unconscious! He's in no position to fight me!"_

_" **EXACTLY**!"_  His father's voice roared.  _"He can't stop you! His son can't stop you! The midget! The triclops! The weakling! Roshi-NONE of them can stop you now!"_

_"But-"_

Piccolo jerked slightly as his father's voice rose to a crescendo.

_"NO! I am **sick**  and  **tired**  of you dragging your feet!"_

He took a step towards the window.

_"W-what are you-?"_

_"9. Years. 9! **Years**! I have spent almost an entire DECADE waiting for that insolent monkey to DIE!"_

Piccolo stumbled.

_"S...stop this! I...I am not bound to-"_

_"I am your **father** , you insolent whelp! I  **spawned**  you, with my  **last**!  **Breath**! So that  **you**  would carry on my legacy! So that  **you**  would conquer this world once more! So that  **YOU**  would strike down all that opposed me!"_

His head jerked once more.

_"What...is the point...now...?"_  Piccolo thought erratically, his inner voice sinking lower with each passing second.

_"Unlike you, I'm not content to sit down and die. There_ is  _a way that I can avert my demise, and I intend to use it."_

_"What...are you...?"_

_"We were once one being, Kami and I. A singular entity whose raw power would make you shudder. In order to become Guardian of this pathetic world, he split himself apart into two entities. One of pure good...and one of pure evil."_

_"You...don't mean-?"_

_"Years ago, I would retch at the suggestion, but it seems that no other option exists. If I am to continue living, then I must merge with Kami and become that nameless being once more! But this time, I will conquer the consciousness of the old fool from within! And then, I shall wield power greater than anything this planet has ever seen before!"_

Piccolo shuddered.

_"Please...stop...!"_

_"No! I shall wait no longer! TODAY-!"_

Piccolo thrust out a hand and blew apart the window completely with a ki blast. His eyes lost the quiet fire that characterized the warrior Piccolo Jr. had become. Instead, they became more focused, manipulative, and sinister-the eyes of the Demon King which spawned him.

"Today, Son Goku...will  **die**...by my hand," Piccolo finished with a sinister grin.

He only dimly registered the door being thrown back on its hinges as Bad Launch came rushing into the room, machine gun in hand. Without a second's hesitation, she unleashed a spread of bullets upon the Namekian, but he simply caught them all in a flash with one hand and tossed them aside. Before she could react, Piccolo let out a kiai towards her position, the sheer force of it sending her flying out of the room and into the wall of the living room, before finally landing out on the beach. Launch lifted her head up groggily, just in time to see Piccolo fly out through the hole he created, en route to Wukong Hospital and with nothing but one singular, overpowering goal on his mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a twist!
> 
> Believe it or not, this is actually something of a relic from one of my first ideas for a Dragon Ball fanfic, detailing King Piccolo's return to the world of the living. It was incredibly messy, but nevertheless, the concept of King Piccolo still kinda being alive intrigued me. So, here we are.
> 
> Anyway, power levels!
> 
> Vegeta(heavily wounded): 3,300
> 
> Piccolo: 3,500
> 
> Piccolo(2-handed Special Beam Cannon): 3,700
> 
> Vegeta(Galick Gun): 4,500
> 
> Piccolo(Masenko): 4,500
> 
> As always, hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to leave reviews! Have a fantastic night, and I'll see y'all next week.


	11. The Reincarnation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Piccolo consumed by the darkness which lurks within him, and most of Earth's warriors either dead or injured, it falls to Krillin to protect the Earth once again. Will he be able to save Piccolo from his father's control, or will he be forced to kill his new ally?

"Is it over?"

The question, asked by an elderly voice worn by the passage of time, yet also furtive from years of effective isolation, was posed from the cover of darkness to no one in particular, yet was nevertheless promptly received.

"Affirmative," a mechanical voice replied, echoing off the walls of the subterranean structure. "The alien pod exited the Earth's atmosphere three hours and twenty-seven minutes ago."

"Excellent. Has the analysis been completed?"

"Negative. Estimated time to completion: twenty-two hours."

"Oh, no rush. Based on the preliminary results, the model which I have-*cough*-designed already will be easily capable of handling Son Goku and company."

Suddenly, the shadowy figure's ruminations were interrupted by a high pitched beeping sound.

"Bio-samples from the two scenes of engagement have arrived."

The figure chuckled.

"Excellent. Now...let's see just what we can do with these, shall we?"

* * *

"You are certain?"

Kami asked Krillin the question, already expecting the answer, while Mr. Popo tended to the garden.

"Yes. M-Master Roshi said that when he looked into Vegeta's mind, he was thinking about something. An old legend he'd heard about a planet called Namek, that said that its people produced seven mystical spheres of immense power!" He took a breath as Kami nodded along before chuckling. "Yeah. Sounds familiar, huh?"

"Indeed," Kami said with a chuckle of his own. Meanwhile, Mr. Popo began forming an idea, and retreated into the central chamber.

Krillin watched him go, unsure what it was he was doing, while Kami continued. "To tell you the truth, when I was making the Dragon Balls all those years ago, I...I felt something. Sort of like...an ancestral memory. A connection to a distant home of which I knew nothing. Now...now it seems that I have even more answers regarding where I really came from."

"Course, it could be a pretty big problem for us if it turns out Vegeta's alive," Krillin responded. "Only one pod was recovered-the other was reported to have flown off for some reason. Seems pretty likely that he survived, at least long enough to call his pod and get into it."

"Yes...if you are correct, then it means great trouble for the people of this 'Namek,'" Kami mused. "I wonder...if age hasn't overtaken it, that human girl-Bulma, was it?-might be able to-"

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a high pitched whine as Mr. Popo appeared before them on a flying carpet.

"Kami!" He exclaimed, evidently excited about something. "It's still operational!"

Krillin cocked his head in confusion while Kami beamed. "Excellent! Go meet with Bulma immediately-she should be able to have it relocated to a more suitable launch site."

"Yes, sir!" And with that, he disappeared once more.

"...Huh," Krillin said, after a moment of silence. "That, uh...that's one handy trinket you got there."

Kami simply chuckled. "The inhabitants of Other World possess many such 'trinkets.'"

"Well, you gonna tell me what he was talking about?"

"A ship. One likely capable of traveling many times faster than the speed of light. It was the ship which Mr. Popo believes had brought me-or, rather, the entity I used to be-to this planet as an infant."

"Wait a second-you  _know_ you're an alien?"

Kami looked at Krillin, surprised. "Why, yes, for some time now. Because really, in retrospect-"

"Then why didn't Piccolo know he was an alien when the Saiyans brought it up?"

"I only learned of it after the first incident with King Piccolo was resolved. Mr. Popo discovered my ship while looking for plants to put in his garden, but couldn't figure out how it worked. I had long held suspicions that I was not of this world, but only when he informed me of the ship's existence did I truly know for certain."

"So because you didn't know when you split up with King Piccolo, then Piccolo didn't know either?"

"Correct. And, from there, it simply didn't seem all that important," he said simply before continuing. "Anyway, I'm not typically allowed to leave the Lookout unless in the event of an emergency, so I sent Mr. Popo to study it. Eventually, I told him to say the...I suppose, 'Namekian' word for 'open,' and lo and behold, it did."

Krillin's eyes widened slightly. "Ohhh, so  _that's_ what you and Piccolo were speaking at the 23rd Tournament! I always wondered about that." He then paused before confusion set in once more. "Wait, but if he didn't know he was an alien, how did he know your people's language?!"

"It would seem that that was another ancestral memory that the being we once were possessed, even as an infant, and which Piccolo inherited from his father."

"Huh. ...Weird."

"In any event, it was easy to deduce that the ship operated based on voice command, but without knowing what my planet was called or what was out there, I couldn't order Mr. Popo to attempt to go. So, it's just been sitting there. Waiting, I suppose, for an occasion like this, in which it would be crucial."

"Yeah..." Krillin said as he thought it over. "Well, I should probably go inform the others. Between bringing in Goku and finding Piccolo, I never really had the time to-"

Without warning, Kami gasped in pain and was left staggered, nearly falling to the floor. Krillin rushed to his side.

"Kami! What's going-?" He began before Kami clutched his wrist, whether out of a desire for support or fear, he wasn't sure.

"He's...he's back," he muttered, to Krillin's confusion. "I don't know how he managed it, but he's back!"

"Who's back?"

As Kami's breathing stabilized, he let go of Krillin's wrist and got up to his feet. "Let me explain," he said before taking a deep breath. "When King Piccolo created Piccolo Junior, his reincarnation, he didn't just pass on his memories. He passed on his very consciousness into the mind of the developing child, intermixing alongside Junior's own. For the first three years of life, this leftover consciousness was strong within him, guiding him on a path towards evil and revenge against Son Goku. But after his defeat, and at an accelerated rate following his battle with the Saiyans and bonding with his young son, that consciousness had grown considerably weaker while the other-the Piccolo we know-matured and grew stronger. I thought that King Piccolo as a separate entity within him was nearly extinguished, and yet...now it seems he's taken over."

"And with the kind of crazy strength he has now..."

"He will surely kill Son Goku, and everyone else on this world, with ease."

Krillin's eyes widened in fear before he frantically reached out with his senses. Surprisingly, it took him far less time than usual to track down Piccolo's energy, which he could already tell was increasing with every second on course to the hospital. Kami touched his shoulder.

"Krillin," he said simply. "If there truly is no hope of saving him...I trust you will not hesitate to do what must be done."

Krillin looked up at Kami with a look of shock, which then morphed into a quiet sadness. After steeling himself, he nodded solemnly. Without another word, Krillin kicked off of the Lookout and took flight as fast as he could, hoping against hope that he could make it in time.

* * *

Ironically enough, it was the smell of chicken being served at a restaurant across the street wafting through the opened window which finally roused Goku from his unconscious state.

"Ah, good. You're awake. I was worried I wouldn't get to see the look in your eyes."

He did his best to look around the room and pinpoint the source of the voice while his vision came back into focus, eventually spotting a green blur concealed by the darkness.

"Piccolo...?" He muttered weakly, still fading in and out.

"Hm. In a manner of speaking."

"You...sound different."

"Do I? Interesting."

As his vision returned, he got a better look at the figure sitting right in front of his bed, and quickly noticed the shape of his eyes. No longer calculating and proud, but ruthless and cold. The eyes of an entity born of pure evil, with nothing within them but the impulse to destroy. He'd only seen such eyes a handful of times in his life, and combined with the particular manner in which Piccolo carried himself, his eyes soon widened in recognition.

"You..."

"Ah! So you recognize me? Your intellect is as sharp as ever, Son Goku."

"How...?"

"Sshhhhh," Piccolo silenced him as he got out of the chair. "Please, no more talking. Your voice is so irritating, even when you're barely conscious. Besides...I wouldn't want anything to spoil the moment."

"Where is-?"

"Oh, my son isn't available right now, although believe me, he'd like nothing more than to speak with you," Piccolo said softly as he lifted up a finger. "Unfortunately, I'm far too busy to allow that. I've got a lot on my plate. At the top of the list, well...I'm sure even you can piece it together."

His finger began to glow with a highly concentrated mass of yellow ki, while Goku tried in vain to move in spite of his injuries.

"At last," Piccolo mused. "After nine long years...my revenge is at hand."

Goku winced instinctively as the finger beam reached its apex, before a sudden crash, a cry of shock, and a burst of energy caused him to widen his eyes in surprise. Before he could observe anything else, however, he drifted off to sleep once more, his earlier efforts at moving having drained what energy he could muster.

* * *

Piccolo crashed through the wall and out of the building, tumbling towards the ground for a few seconds before he canceled his momentum with the power of flight. As nighttime traffic continued below him, he looked into the eyes of his attacker before breaking his hold with a blast from his eyes, followed by a swift kick to knock him backwards.

Krillin hovered a few feet in front of him, slightly damaged by the Demon King's attacks.

"Tch. I wasn't expecting you to grow wise to it so soon. But no matter-I can make the time to kill you before getting back to Son Goku, if that is your wish. We both know you're the only one of them even remotely capable of stopping me-and that my power far exceeds yours."

Despite his anxiety, Krillin forced a somewhat wobbly smirk. "You think so, huh?" he replied, as confidently as he could manage. "We'll see about that." He hovered in place for a second as he began to gather ki, entering into his Max Power state and charging Piccolo.

" _Ah. So that's his plan. Well, no matter-the speed decrease from that state should allow me to easily-"_  Piccolo's thoughts were interrupted by a powerful right hook to his jaw which sent him flying down several city blocks. Before he could react, Krillin flew to meet him and landed a series of powerful blows all throughout his body, each one intended to take him closer and closer to the forest which surrounded the city. As they approached the city limits, Krillin attempted to finish the combination with a powerful swing, but found his strike blocked by the Namekian warrior at the last second with noticeable exertion. Krillin flew back a pace before trying several other angles of attack, only to find each one blocked.

" _Damn it! I didn't think his strength was increasing_ that  _fast! I've got to end this now!"_

As he thought this however, he noticed that Piccolo was locked in concentration, gathering his energy as he looked towards the buildings behind Krillin with a perverse anticipation.

"MASENKO...!"

Upon hearing the word, Krillin hastily drew his hands together and charged up as much energy as he could.

" **HAAA**!"

Krillin's ki blast only barely managed to meet Piccolo's own, and the entire city shook with the resulting explosion. When the smoke cleared, the buildings behind Krillin were relatively intact minus some slight fracturing, while Krillin himself was left bleeding in several places, and forced to return to his normal form.

"Just...as I thought," Piccolo said, with some exertion of his own. "You may still be more powerful than I am currently...but your sentiment towards your fellow lower creatures makes you weak...and easily exploited."

Piccolo drew two fingers to his forehead and began to charge up a Special Beam Cannon. Krillin grit his teeth and reentered the Max Power form, ignoring the scream of pain all throughout his body as he prepared to counter. However, just as Piccolo was about to fire, the two were distracted by a third voice added to the engagement.

"Masenko-HA!"

Suddenly, a bright yellow blast of ki collided with Piccolo's face, breaking his concentration and staggering him in spite of its relative weakness. He turned towards the source of the attack, only to find Gohan barely managing to fly, one arm in a cast and bandages wrapped around his head. After a few seconds of panting, the boy began to plummet towards the ground.

Piccolo found himself trying to fly towards him against his will, and hastily corrected himself.

"No! The boy...must die!"

He flew forward once more, then was stopped again.

"Son Goku's bloodline...must be erased!"

Meanwhile, Krillin had immediately taken off as fast as he could manage, exiting the Max Power state and rushing towards Gohan, only barely managing to catch him before he hit the ground.

"The boy...no...stop this, you-!"

Krillin looked up as Piccolo hastily charged up an attack, only to jerk his arm away and fire it into the forest. He snarled furiously.

"You will not...prevent me...from obtaining my revenge!"

Krillin's eyes widened as he gently set Gohan down to the ground. " _Could it be...?"_

Piccolo growled in anger and drew his hands to his face, as if he were suffering major head trauma. "I've...waited too...long-No! I won't let you-! Stop this now, you sentimental-!"

The Namekian's argument was interrupted by an uppercut from Krillin, followed by a rapid flurry of punches and kicks at the off-guard warrior.

"No! I...cannot...lose!" Piccolo got out before a roundhouse kick from Krillin knocked him into the ground. As he struggled to get back up, Krillin swiftly landed another kick on the back of his head, leaving him barely conscious.

"Krillin!"

Krillin turned around, recognizing the voice as belonging to Yamcha, who he could see had hastily flown to his position.

"Yamcha! How did you-?"

"Throwing around energy blasts like that? Hard not to sense," Yamcha replied. "Plus, Bad Launch called us from Kame House. Oolong told me she said something about Piccolo attacking her, but by the time he picked up, you burst in and punted Piccolo through the window. Woke me up right away, heh heh." He staggered slightly as he landed onto the ground next to Krillin, evidently still in bad shape.

"You sure you should be fighting so soon?"

"Hey, it's not like the bad guys ever pick a convenient time to put the whole world at stake," Yamcha replied. "Speaking of whom..." he began charging up a Spirit Ball, only to be held off by Krillin.

"Just give him a second."

"What-Krillin! He just tried to kill you and Goku! Why-?"

"Look, it's a long story, but the gist of it is that King Piccolo is in our Piccolo's head and has somehow gained control over his body. But if I'm right..."

Piccolo drew his hands to his head once more as he shakily got back up to his knees, then lifted himself off the ground for a split second before coming back down, all the while screaming in agony. After ten seconds of this, he drew his head back and let out one final scream before falling onto his back, exhausted. As Krillin took a cautious step towards him, he could notice one slight detail: his eyes, no longer malignant and cruel, had returned to their look of quiet intensity-eyes reflective of the proud warrior they had slowly come to know. These eyes then came to focus on the forms of Krillin and Yamcha hovering over Piccolo's prone body.

"His voice...it is...silent within me," he muttered weakly as he glanced over at Gohan. A slight look of relief played across his features as he could continue to sense the boy's energy.

Krillin sighed in relief. "Yamcha...go and take Gohan back to the hospital. You both need to rest."

"What about you?" Yamcha asked.

"...I feel like it's about time Piccolo and his 'uncle' had a little chat," Krillin replied cryptically, lifting Piccolo up by his shoulders as he continued to drift in and out of consciousness. He lifted up off the ground and flew to Kami's Lookout as fast as he could manage.

* * *

"Yes...it is as he says."

Kami gazed into Piccolo's eyes as soon as he had regained consciousness, a gaze which seemed to peer directly into his soul.

"There are some slight fragments remaining-emotions and impulses from the other consciousness which will likely continue to influence his actions for the remainder of his life. But they shall do only that-influence. The distinct consciousness of King Piccolo has been completely submerged by Piccolo's own mind. The circumstances of this long night...shall never come to pass again."

Piccolo scoffed. "I could've told you as much without being dragged halfway across the planet."

"You  **did**  almost kill him and his friends an hour ago. It's understandable that he would want to verify your claim."

"Tch!" Piccolo walked off with his arms crossed.

"Closed off as ever, I see," Kami quipped. "But...I no longer sense any truly malevolent intentions from you." Piccolo simply remained there while Krillin listened, fascinated. "You are certainly still ready and willing to kill anything perceived as a threat, and your continual indifference for most sentient beings is certainly something you could work on. But...there is a spark of goodness within you. I must admit, I am curious to see how that spark will develop."

Piccolo scoffed louder, as if he was insulted by the mere notion. Kami simply chuckled.

"In any event, Mr. Popo came by with your young friend a few minutes after you left, and again some time before you arrived." Mr. Popo smiled slightly at the acknowledgement, having just returned Bulma to her home at Capsule Corporation. "They recently tested the ship's functionality-apparently it can travel from here to the planet Jupiter in less than a minute. Of course, we still have no idea how far away Namek is, but I imagine it won't take too long after the girl has finished modifying the ship's language banks."

"With luck, you may even arrive fast enough to-" Mr. Popo began, but silenced himself when Kami glanced at him sternly. Krillin cocked his head in confusion, before understanding dawned.

"Oh, yeah! We could use the Dragon Balls on Namek to restore you to your youth! Or make you immortal! Then the Dragon Balls here would still be around, and you and Piccolo wouldn't have to die!"

"And your friends Chiaotzu and Master Roshi would be condemned to remain in Other World for the period of one Namekian year, not to mention all of the innocents of East City. Assuming, of course, that you even obtain these Namekian Dragon Balls."

"But sir-!"

" **Enough** ," Kami replied, forcefully. "I will not be so selfish as to put my own dilemma ahead of so many innocent lives. Understand, you two: if you manage to gather the Namekian Dragon Balls, reviving all those killed by the Saiyans will be your  **top** priority. Is that clear?"

"...Yes, sir," Krillin replied. Piccolo simply growled.

"Piccolo..."

"Alright, fine! Top priority. Got it."

Kami looked into Piccolo's eyes once more before turning to Krillin again.

"Well, enough about all of that. Mr. Popo will take you back to the hospital and have you treated for your injuries." Krillin nodded and turned towards Mr. Popo. Mr. Popo took Krillin's hand as he led him onto his magic carpet, the two of them quickly disappearing en route to the hospital.

When he was certain they were gone, Kami turned to Piccolo.

"Tell me, Piccolo. What was it that drove your father to take control once more, beyond his own revenge?"

Piccolo was evidently reluctant to answer, but took a deep breath and responded. "He mentioned something about...merging with you. To become the being that you once were, and thereby avoiding the matter of your death. Then, he would use this new entity's immense power to subjugate the Earth."

"Hm..." Kami furrowed his brow in intense thought, drawing a curious look from Piccolo.

"Wait a minute...are you suggesting-?"

"It's faint, but...I believe that the entity we once were  **was**  aware of a method to fuse two separate beings together into a single composite, one participant being the physical model for this being while the other's mind and body was absorbed. Truthfully, I had considered it as a last resort during your father's reign of terror, but I did not know enough about it to safely proceed, knowing the strength of his evil nature. I am not aware of the precise technique involved, but I do know this: the power resulting from such a technique would be exponentially greater than that of either participant." He became lost in thought once more. "I wonder...now that his mind is no longer within you..."

Piccolo took a step back in shock. "Don't tell me-!"

"True, it would likely result in the destruction of the Dragon Balls of Earth, and effectively end my own life, but it would provide you with immense power, and allow you to live, no longer dependent upon our life link for survival. You could serve as a true Guardian of this planet-a capacity of which I am now hardly capable."

Piccolo seemed to think this over for a second. "...My personality would remain intact?"

"I...am not sure. It is possible that our minds could merge as a result of such a fusion, or that yours would simply supplant my own."

Piccolo mulled over this for much longer. "Hmph. I wish not to serve as the official Guardian of this world. Seems far too restrictive. And tedious."

"You may appoint a successor, if you so wish. The important thing is that you-and, perhaps by proxy, me-would be in a much better position to defend this planet from future threats. Taking your father's physiology into account, there may even be the possibility that you, like him, possess eternal youth. You could be in your physical prime for the entirety of your life, unhampered by my frailty."

Piccolo stared wide-eyed into space, processing everything that Kami had said. Eventually, he answered with a remarkably uncharacteristic response.

"I...I need time. Time to...consider the possibilities."

Kami nodded. "I'd say 'take as much as you need,' but then again...neither of us has too much left."

Piccolo didn't hear him, his mind lost in thought as he leaped off the Lookout and took off into the night sky. Kami watched him go, wondering if perhaps he was wrong for even considering the possibility, and mulling over the potential risks.

" _Still...at first, I had never considered it. But now, with his father's soul virtually gone...now I may yet have the chance to be of some use to this world...even if it is at the cost of myself."_

With that, he turned back towards the Lookout's central chamber just as Mr. Popo returned, left to think over his own options as he felt his own strength slowly abandoning him.

* * *

Elsewhere, millions upon millions of miles away, a large set of doors slid open as several figures walked down a pink pastel-colored hall-a shorter figure accompanied by two others. To his left, Dodoria, a man with a large, round figure, pink skin, and a bulbous head, sneered. To his right, Zarbon, a teal-skinned, green haired man with yellow eyes and several pieces of jewelry, held a more stoic expression. The short figure, despite only reaching to either man's shoulders in height, was the main source of apprehension among various other aliens within the room, who promptly turned back to their computer monitors and looked as busy as they could manage.

The short figure looked upon them all with indifference, and a hint of amusement, until he found the one who had summoned him here: a purple alien with a remarkably long cranium and yellow spots.

"What is it, Appule?" Frieza, ruler of most of the known galaxy, remarked with annoyance.

"Ah, yes, Lord Frieza! Please, do forgive me for the interruption, but we were just reviewing Nappa and Raditz's scouter logs, as you had requested after they failed to arrive at Frieza Planet 57 three months ago."

Frieza nodded, his boredom evident. "Okay. And?"

Appule replied, trying his best not to anger his lord. "After a year of scouter silence, we finally received several hours of auditory transmissions from Nappa's scouter. Judging from the telemetry, we believe it came from a world called 'Earth,' a pending acquisition. Raditz visited it a year prior, judging by what we were able to recover."

"And this matters why?"

As Frieza asked this, Appule hesitated. On the one hand, he knew the price for angering Frieza, as well as his own precarious standing. One mistake could easily disintegrate him and all of his people into nothing but ashes. But on the other hand, if the information in Nappa's scouter log was accurate...it could prove catastrophic for the entire universe.

Frieza noticed his hesitation and took a step forward. "Will you answer my question,  _Mister_ Appule?"

Frieza's glare broke apart Appule's rebellious thoughts. "L-listen to this, sire!" With that, he pressed a button, and the scouter log began to play back.

" _They're going to use the Dragon Balls to become immortal,"_ they heard an unknown man, evidently aged, answer matter-of-factly. The term 'Dragon Balls' brought up some murmurs from the soldiers. Most, after all, had heard the legend of the Namekian power spheres, and their miraculous effects, but had dismissed it as nothing more than a fairy tale. " _After they've got that settled, they've toyed with the notion of subjugating this planet and its people, using the Earth as a breeding camp in order to rebuild the population of the Saiyan race, although this 'Prince Vegeta' person has expressed doubts on the plan. He wants to become immortal so that he can become capable of defeating a galactic tyrant by the name of 'Frieza,' thus allowing him to rule over the entire universe for all eternity._ "

When the old man had concluded and the recording ended, Frieza and his attendants looked on in disbelief along with his soldiers. Some muttered regarding their surprise that Vegeta would take such a step, while others pitied his foolishness.

"T-that's all we could recover, Lord Frieza. After that, Nappa's scouter stopped transmitting. The only response we've gotten since then was an automated communication from Vegeta's Attack Ball, informing Frieza Planet 79 of his imminent arrival. We can infer from this that Vegeta has been critically injured, perhaps near death." This set off the soldiers' speculation once more, but Frieza silenced them all with a raised hand and pondered to himself for a minute before chuckling.

"Oh ho ho ho! You've obtained a rather significant piece of information, Appule!" Frieza said, an evil grin moving across his features.

"T-thank you, my Lord!" Appule replied, already regretting his decision.

"So...evidence of the power spheres' existence has finally made itself known. And under the prospect of immortality, no less! That definitely seems worth a look-see, don't you think?" he addressed to Dodoria and Zarbon, who both nodded their heads in agreement. "I thought so. Well, then...helmsman!" He suddenly pointed to a crocodile-like alien sitting at the helm controls. "Alter our course! By my decree, we shall waste no time in heading for Planet Namek at once!"

"Y-yes, sire!" he replied, hurriedly typing in the coordinates and making note of the month-long ETA. Meanwhile, Zarbon voiced the unstated concern among the troops.

"Um, my Lord?" he asked, unusually restrained. "What is to be done with Vegeta?"

"Hm?" Frieza queried, his mind elsewhere. "Oh. Well, obviously he must be killed, assuming his injuries don't do it for us. I will not tolerate such acts of rebellion from my staff-the sheer nerve of wishing to overthrow me is inexcusable."

"Still, he may be a valuable source of information on these 'Dragon Balls,'" Zarbon pointed out, causing Frieza to slowly nod in acknowledgement.

"He may very well be dead, but one can never leave things to chance when it comes to Saiyans," Dodoria replied. "Learned that lesson back before they all got wiped out."

"My thoughts exactly, Mister Dodoria. Now, Mister Zarbon, make arrangements to have Vegeta's pod...intercepted at Frieza Planet 79. Instruct the staff there to revive him if he can be saved. If he does not cooperate, he must be killed immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Zarbon responded before pausing once more. "Who do you wish for me to send? Shall I contact the Ginyu Force?"

Frieza pondered this before shaking his head. "No, no-no need to trouble them with a small fry like Vegeta."

"Well, if they ain't available, I'd be happy to take him out," Dodoria said with a chuckle.

"As much as I admire your enthusiasm, Mister Dodoria, I'm afraid I will need you and Zarbon by my side. These Namekians are rumored to possess all sorts of supernatural abilities beyond the scope of my ordinary soldiers."

Dodoria nodded after a few seconds, obviously displeased. Frieza thought for a moment before arriving at an answer. "Ah, yes! Cui! He and Vegeta have been bitter rivals for years! What better person to kill him? Plus, at last report, he was already on Frieza Planet 79!"

"Tch," Dodoria replied in response. "He don't realize how lucky he is, finally getting to wipe the smug grin off that dumb monkey's face."

"Sir, if I may?" Zarbon interjected. "Cui's power level is precisely equal to that of Vegeta's. It may be risky sending him alone, even considering the personnel we have on that planet already."

"Not to mention that whole 'Power Ball' trick of his," Dodoria added.

"Hm...fair point. Luckily, I have just the two soldiers to send after him. I will inform Cui of their arrival later."

With this task completed, Frieza smiled, already envisioning a world in which he could freely rule the universe for all time.

" _Yeeesssss. No one-_ no one- _to check my expansion! No mythical genies, no Gods of Destruction, and_ certainly  _no_ Super Saiyans  _will stop me now!"_

With a subdued laugh which only barely held in his utter glee, the ship engaged its FTL drive and began racing towards the distant Planet Namek.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, our Saiyan Saga comes to a close! Sorry if you were perhaps expecting more from the whole Piccolo situation, but then again, we do have the prospect of him fusing early, so that's something. Also, a more detailed look at some other events going on behind the scenes, including the set up for the next arc of our story: the journey to Namek! But with no Fake Namek. Moving on.
> 
> Anyway, I kinda went back and forth on how I wanted Piccolo to respond to the offer, as whether or not he did could have pretty big ramifications. But, for now, I'm kinda kicking that down the curb. We'll get our answer soon enough.
> 
> In the meantime, no questions, so we'll skip that.
> 
> And now, power levels:
> 
> Piccolo(possessed): 1,500 and rising.
> 
> Piccolo(possessed, Masenko): 2,600
> 
> Gohan(Masenko, weakened): 300
> 
> Kami: About 400


	12. The Launch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although the threat of the Saiyans has passed, their actions most certainly left a mark upon the planet Earth. Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, and an entire city of innocent civilians were slain by the alien warriors, and the Dragon Balls powerless to restore the two to life once more. However, all is not lost: Roshi's dying words to Krillin confirmed that another set of Dragon Balls existed, on the planet Namek, Kami and Piccolo's homeworld. And with Kami's own spaceship, Bulma will lead an expedition to this distant planet in order to find these Dragon Balls and revive all of those killed by the Saiyans. However, little does she know that there are other forces at work pursuing the balls for their own purposes...

Over the next two days, work proceeded swiftly on restoring and modifying the Namekian vessel, which had been commanded to fly up to the Lookout for Kami's own convenience. With his assistance, modifying the ship to operate in English rather than Namekian took far less time than the alternative: Mr. Popo teaching her what little he knew of Namekian, or her gutting the entire operating system and building a new one from scratch. Either option could've taken over a week, and from what she had heard, they didn't have that kind of time.

After the linguistic modifications were completed, the ship was transported to Capsule Corp by Krillin and Yamcha, who had just recently been outfitted with a prosthetic to replace his missing right arm. Gohan still had yet to fully recover from the injuries he had sustained, and without senzu beans, there was little to no hope of Goku or Tien ever making a full recovery. Still, as repairs continued, Bulma was optimistic about their upcoming mission. However, her efforts to recruit volunteers to accompany her were considerably more mixed than the progress of her repairs.

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Chi Chi answered promptly, the intensity of her voice causing some of the objects in the hospital room to vibrate slightly.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from, but-" Bulma began before she was swiftly cut off.

"No buts! You are  **not** sending  **my son** to some alien planet a trillion miles away! I already had enough to deal with with him being kidnapped for over a year, and almost murdered by that Prince Vegetable or whatever the hell his name was!"

"I don't know, Chi Chi, Gohan was pretty insistent on going..." Krillin began before he too was interrupted.

"He's  **five years old**! He's not old enough to make informed decisions on something like this!"

"But-" Bulma began.

"The answer is no! No no no no  **NO**!" With this last scream, the windows of the hospital room slowly began to show cracks, which Bulma and Krillin readily observed.

"... _Okay the answer's no_ ," Bulma said, her fear evident across her features.

* * *

Korin looked at Bulma and Krillin quizzically. "Who told you this?" he asked.

"Yamcha," Bulma replied. "I asked if the Senzu beans could heal his missing arm, and he said-"

"Bah! He doesn't know what he's talking about! Of course the Senzu beans can heal the kind of damage Tien suffered. True, it may take a bit more to get him back up to full strength, but one should be enough to help him regain consciousness."

Bulma's face brightened at the prospect. "Great! How soon can you get one ready?"

"Listen, Miss Briefs, I'm growing these things as fast as I possibly can," Korin said, evidently exasperated by the pressure. "Your friends went through almost my entire stock during their training. I had to actually leave the tower and catch fish to eat for the first time in centuries! The simple fact of the matter is that this batch is going to take at least another month to produce."

"A  **month**?!" Bulma and Krillin cried out simultaneously.

Krillin continued, "You're saying Goku and Tien will be out of commission for at least another month?!"

"Not to mention Yamcha's arm! The prosthetic has been broken three times so far, the instant he tries to power up fully!"

"Tell me: how simple a task do you consider growing holy beans with restorative powers beyond the understanding of your science and enough nutrients to feed a man for ten days straight?" As the two remained silent for several seconds, Korin continued, "That's what I thought. I'm sorry, but you can't rush something like this. A month, minimum. It's the best that I can manage."

Bulma sighed and glanced over at Yajirobe, who was busy devouring a large fish.

"Will-"

"Don't even think about it," he replied flatly, to Bulma's chagrin.

After thanking them for their time, Krillin slowly flew Bulma off of Korin's Tower and back to Capsule Corporation.

"Well, I don't entirely know what I was expecting, but...I'd feel a lot better about this if we had Goku up and about," Bulma admitted.

"Yeah. Same here," Krillin replied. "Of course, there  **is** one other person we haven't asked yet."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "You're 100% certain we can trust him?"

Krillin thought over the events of the past few days, sparing a glance at the bandages on his right shoulder and the side of his head.

"Uh...more like 75%."

* * *

After Krillin took off, Bulma made her way to Goku's hospital room and relayed what she had heard throughout the day.

"So, in summary, me, Krillin, and Yamcha are more or less ready to head out as soon as the modifications to the ship are done."

"Hm," Goku replied clearly, having been fully conscious for the last day. "And you're sure that Piccolo isn't going?"

"Krillin's gone off to try and recruit him. Doubt that'll go well."

"Eh. You never know," Goku said before pausing, a thought having occurred to him. "Say, didn't you tell me you started working on another ship yesterday?"

Bulma chuckled. "No, my dad's working on that one, remember? Between the pod that Nappa character arrived in and the one we recently found near Mount Paozu, he's got plenty to work with as far as the propulsion system goes. He even started designing an artificial gravity generator for it after examining the Namekian ship. Pretty neat stuff."

Goku's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Can it go beyond Earth's level of gravity?"

Bulma considered this for a moment. "I don't know. From what I saw, if it can't, modifying it shouldn't be too tough."

"While I was training with King Kai on his planet, I had to adapt to ten times Earth gravity. Made me way stronger!"

"Tch. Of course your mind immediately jumps to training," Bulma said with a chuckle. "Well, I'll go ahead and pass the idea along. In the meantime, I suppose you'll just have to wait a month until you'll be back on your feet."

Goku sighed, his annoyance evident. "Well, not much I can do about it. Thanks for keeping me in the loop on all this, Bulma!"

Bulma smiled slightly, ever amused by Goku's upbeat attitude. "Don't mention it," she replied as she closed the door behind her.

She then began to walk down the hall, chuckling to herself, before she became aware of a quiet presence a few steps behind her, standing furtively in the hallway.

"H-hey," Launch called out somewhat softly, causing Bulma to stop in her tracks and turn around.

"Launch? How long have you been standing there?"

"...How long were you talking to Goku for?"

Bulma blinked once before responding. "Like, ten, twenty minutes?"

"Then that long."

Bulma couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "So, you heard everything?"

"Most of it. Is it true, what you said about the Senzu beans?"

"Came from the guy-uh, cat who makes them," Bulma replied. "So I'd say it's accurate."

"Hmph," Launch said, muttering something under her breath which Bulma couldn't make out.

Bulma chuckled. "Not too happy with Yamcha, huh?"

" **No** ," Launch replied, crossing her arms and huffing slightly. Bulma smirked-from her, that was almost an angry rant.

"Well, I'll be sure to grill him for it next time I see him." As if on cue, a small beeping sound could be heard from a device on her wrist. "...Which would seem to be now-his new arm just broke again. See you later!"

"Yeah..." Launch replied, giving a half-hearted smile and a small wave as Bulma took off running down the hall. She spared one last glance in the direction of Tien's new hospital room two doors down, before she withdrew to a small corner of the hallway and sneezed.

* * *

Krillin touched down on a plateau overlooking a large desert valley-the latest wasteland Piccolo had found for himself. " _I wonder how he finds these places?"_ Krillin thought idly as he nervously approached the Namekian. Eventually, just as he was about to risk speaking, Piccolo spoke up for him.

"I've been sensing your energy for the last ten minutes," he replied flatly. "Make it quick."

Krillin steadied his nerves and took a deep breath before responding.

"You're already aware of our plans."

"Yes. You intend to travel to Namek to gather their Dragon Balls and revive your allies."

"And yet, in two days, you haven't reached out to us on whether or not you wish to join us."

"'Reached out?' I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that this expedition of yours was one of your human festivities."

"Piccolo-"

"I've had other things on my mind, okay?!" he spat back before closing his eyes once more, trying to calm himself.

Krillin took a slow step forward. "I have trouble believing you're not the least bit curious about your home planet, the people who live there?"

Piccolo scoffed. "Please. Knowing Kami, they're probably a bunch of nature-worshipping dullards who sit around doing nothing but meditating or discussing philosophy. They won't be a world of warriors, I assure you."

"You're Namekian, and you're a warrior."

"Only because I was born with the will to do what cowards like Kami refuse to do when it becomes necessary."

Krillin chuckled. "As well as some of your dad's pride, evidently."

Piccolo growled slightly, causing Krillin to step back a pace, before he turned back around. "Perhaps."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Krillin got back up and stepped back a few paces. "We're probably going to leave in a few days, a week at most, as soon as the ship's up and running. If you change your mind..." he let the sentence hang for a few seconds before lifting up off the ground and flying back to Kame House, leaving Piccolo to attempt to steady his thoughts once more.

* * *

"Hey! You. Bartender. Can I get another of these?"

Bad Launch leaned across the bar of a fairly run-down establishment in the northern quarter of West City, having to push past all of the empty mugs where beer had once resided. Quick observation from anyone at the bar would reveal her to be fairly intoxicated-yet, clearly, not as much as she wanted to be.

"Another?" The bartender, a portly man in his mid forties, replied, his concern evident. "You've already had six in less than an hour!"

"Yeah? Well, I. Want.  _Another_ ," she replied forcefully, causing the bartender to cower in fear as he rushed to the back of the room and hastily poured another mug before setting it down in front of her. She sighed in irritation and began to lift the mug to her lips, before the sound of a minor commotion reached her ears.

"Say, good looking, why don't you come over and join us?" A gruff man, considerably more intoxicated than Launch, posed to someone who had just entered the bar-evidently an attractive woman.

"Hmph! I happen to be a married woman, thank you very much!"

"Really? I don't see a ring. Besides, aren't you a little young to be married? Can't be over 20..."

At this, the woman blushed slightly in embarrassment, before regaining her composure. "I don't have time for this. Just go back to your stupid friends and your stupid drinks and let me go about my business!"

The drunk man chuckled more forcefully than he likely would have under normal circumstances. "Aw, come on, hun, just one little drink..." He slowly began reaching his right arm around her waist, but before he could move it another inch, he suddenly found himself completely out of breath, only hearing the resounding impact of her fist into his diaphragm a second after he staggered away.

The woman scoffed at the prone figure while his friends at a nearby table looked on in shock. Hearing her dismissal of him enraged the man, and as soon as he was able to stand again, he sprinted towards the woman with a look of fury. "Don't you disrespect me like that, you-!" His retort and attempt to grab her wrist were both cut short when the woman suddenly grabbed his own hand, lifting his body off of the ground and over her head with only one arm before sending him crashing down onto the floor in front of her hard enough to produce a noticeable crack in the boards.

By this time, Launch had turned around to observe the conflict directly, chuckling as she downed the mug in one motion. "Heh. Didn't think she had it in her," she remarked to no one in particular as the drunk man's friends got up from the table and approached her threateningly. The woman looked back up at them with a neutral expression as the drunk man slowly regained consciousness.

"Now, listen, gentlemen, I don't want any further unpleasantness. I just came to see a friend of mine, and I'd rather not get on the kind bartender's bad side any further. So why don't you pick up your friend, go back to your homes, sleep it off, and we'll forget this whole thing happened, hm?"

The drunk man staggered to his feet, growling, as his friends sneered at her.

"Sorry, little lady, but you don't beat up our pal over there and expect to get away with it," one of the other men, a rather lanky figure with a slight country accent.

"Really, sir, this is quite unnecessary," she replied, causing the men to laugh.

"'Sir?' 'Gentlemen?' Coming in here dressed like  _that_ , no less! Who does this stuck up bitch think she is, anyway?!"

While the men continued to laugh as they slowly approached her, Launch simply smiled. The young woman took a deep breath as her expression changed, a cold, emotionless manifestation of her barely repressed fury.

"Okay," she said simply, and all hell broke loose.

* * *

Some time later, Chi Chi and Launch sat in a forested glade outside of the city, having finally evaded the local law enforcement to Launch's satisfaction. Chi Chi was preoccupied with the potential consequences of her actions, but Launch laughed her off.

"Trust me. Those West City cops couldn't catch a criminal if he turned himself in. And you're hardly that."

"Still...I must admit to feeling some slight twinge of guilt."

"Ah, come on, those punks were asking for it!" Launch replied before chuckling. "Although, I gotta say...kicking  _all of them_ in the junk...I didn't expect that out of you."

Chi Chi laughed in spite of herself. "I suppose we all become somewhat...uncharacteristic when we lose our temper."

"I'll say. Remind me never to piss you off," Launch said, laughing slightly herself. "Ah...tell you the truth, that was just what I needed after...everything that's happened."

"You needed to see a bunch of drunkards get beat up?"

"Pretty much!" Launch said, laughing heartily. "Nothing quite like a good old fashioned bar fight to take your mind off things."

"Hmph. A rather odd coping mechanism," Chi Chi replied frankly.

"Maybe, but it seems like a decent alternative to killing my brain cells with beer. Seriously, I'm not quite sure how I managed to swallow seven whole mugs of that."

Chi Chi found herself chuckling. "Well...I don't know about beating up random strangers just for the thrill of it, but...being out alone, not having to deal with taking care of the house or worrying over my son or... _Goku,_ feels...nice."

"Been awhile since I've had someone to really hang out with, either. You guys all seem to kinda do your own thing for years at a time without seeing each other. Or talking. Like, at all. Pretty weird thing for friends to do, if you ask me. Especially since, you know,  **phones** are a thing."

"Hm. Well...perhaps we could work on changing that," Chi Chi replied with a small smile. Launch found herself returning it more easily than she had expected.

"Yeah..." she replied, blushing slightly in spite of herself. The two sat in silence for a moment before she continued, "So, uh...Goku, huh? How, uh, how's that been going?"

Chi Chi was surprised by Launch's evident hesitation, but replied, "Oh, you know. It has its ups and downs. He's the sweetest guy you'll ever meet, but sometimes he can just be such a...such a..."

"Blockhead?"

"Yeah."

"Heh. Know how that feels."

"Seriously! I keep telling him that he needs to go out and get a job, but he just keeps focusing on-"

"Training!" The two said in unison, startling each other for a second before they both laughed.

"Right?!" Chi Chi began. "All the man does some days is eat, sleep, and punch rocks!"

"Heh. At least  _yours_ remembers to eat," Launch replied with a chuckle. "I have to pester Tien for days before he'll finally eat something. Says it helps him 'center his mind' or some crap. Honestly, I had half a mind to just leave him alone one of these days. See how centered his mind is when he's starved himself for two weeks!" She scoffed slightly, recalling their argument the previous year.

"...But you're not going to, are you?" Chi Chi asked in a soft voice, surprising Launch and causing her to blush slightly. She chuckled.

"Nah. Nah, probably not," she answered, her voice beginning to crack a little. Chi Chi placed a hand on her shoulder, slightly surprised by Launch's lack of resistance.

"This isn't going to be easy," she said frankly. "I can tell you that much firsthand. But, I just want you to know that we're all here for you...if you're willing to accept our help."

Launch was silent for a while, before finally muttering, "Could you even look at him?"

"What?"

"If you saw Goku in that hospital bed. His eyes shut, barely breathing, body broken to hell, tubes jutting out all over the place...could you bear to look at him?"

Chi Chi was at a loss for words. "It...it would be hard, I admit. But...I think it would hurt even more to not be there at all."

Launch considered this before continuing. "Yamcha explained it to me the last time I was there. That 'Kikoho' thing, the 'Max Power' state, all of it. He told me what it did to whoever decided to use it, what it must've done to Tien to use both at the same time. Using up all of his energy, wrecking himself to hell, shortening his own life...all so he'd be strong enough to kill that alien bastard. And...I'm just left wondering...why he'd go that far to protect everyone. ...Even a no-good crook like me."

As Launch took a few shallow breaths, Chi Chi was quick to respond, pulling her face towards hers. "Launch. Listen to me: You. Are not. A bad person."

Launch let out a short laugh. "Are you kidding me? I'm one of the most wanted criminals for miles around!"

"Let's take a look at some of the people who just saved the planet from destruction, hm?" Chi Chi responded, releasing Launch from her grip. "Yamcha? Robbed people for a living. Krillin? Selfish jerk who only wanted to get stronger to pick up women. Roshi-good God, don't even get me  **started** on Roshi. And Piccolo? He tried to take over the planet and kill my husband six years ago! Hell, even your own boyfriend and his friend used to want to be  **assassins** , for God's sake!"

"None of them are still doing any of that, though," Launch replied, her voice considerably smaller. She blushed slightly at hearing Tien described as her boyfriend.

At this, Chi Chi had to laugh as well. "What, you think people change overnight?  **Please**. Change is probably one of the hardest things that any person can manage, and a lot of them don't. But you  **have** changed, Launch. You're not nearly as violent as you used to be. You've made friends, you've made a life for yourself that...only  **occasionally** involves robbing places or beating up random strangers," she added hastily, the tone in which she did so causing Launch to chuckle slightly. "It's a  **process** , and hardly an easy one. But, if it makes you feel any better...I know for certain that at least three people believe you can do it." She got up and extended her hand towards Launch. "How'd you like to be the fourth?" she said, smiling brightly.

Launch hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching for Chi Chi's hand, allowing her to pull her up to her feet. Her eyes went up to meet Chi Chi's, and in a matter of seconds, tears began to slightly blur her vision. Without thinking, she rushed to embrace the young woman, beginning to let it all out. Chi Chi stepped back a pace in surprise, but warmly returned the gesture, closing her eyes and muttering words of comfort as the light from the sunset slowly faded, leaving the glade in total darkness.

* * *

The next few days leading up to the launch of the Namekian ship were relatively uneventful. With Piccolo still remaining distant off in the wastelands, Goku and Tien out of commission, and Gohan expressly forbidden from going by his mother, Krillin, Yamcha, and Bulma were left to prepare for the upcoming expedition as best as they could, the first two training together while the latter oversaw repairs. Before any of them knew it, the ship was ready to fly, and was transported to Kame House that morning so as to provide a clear space to launch while also allowing all of the crew's friends to say goodbye before they took off.

"Stay safe, everyone!" Chi Chi called out.

"Best wishes!" Turtle said.

"Take care of yourself, Lord Yamcha!" Puar cried, his anxiety for his master evident.

"Try not to die!" Oolong said, earning him a smack upside the head from Chi Chi.

"If that Vegeta punk ain't dead, make sure to kill him for me if you run into him!" Bad Launch called out enthusiastically, causing Chi Chi to look at her with some concern. Krillin simply laughed nervously before stepping into the ship.

"Goodbye, everyone!" "We'll see you soon!" Bulma and Yamcha replied before they too stepped into the ship and closed the hatch, faintly hearing continued goodbyes through the hull.

As Krillin and Yamcha settled in at various chairs that had been set up throughout the ship, Bulma, wearing her own custom-made space suit, strolled up to the helm and began a diagnostic of the ship's systems. "Alright, boys, strap yourselves in-this is going to be a pretty bumpy ride."

"Copy that," Krillin replied as he and Yamcha fastened their seatbelts.

After a few more minutes, the ship was set for takeoff, and Bulma gave the signal that they were about to take off from the cockpit of the ship. On cue, the onlookers stepped back into the house to avoid being hit by debris kicked up by the ship.

"Alright...now, ship, without any further ado..." Bulma began, somewhat dramatically. "Set a course for the planet 'Namek!'"

The ship's computer worked for a minute before replying. "Namek located. Estimated travel time: 34 days at maximum speed. Engaging thrusters in 5...4...3...2...1..."

In a matter of seconds, the ship took off and rapidly broke Earth's atmosphere en route to its destination, the passengers groaning as a result of the nausea. The people in Kame House looked up at the sky until the ship had long faded from view. Eventually, once the spectacle was over, Bad Launch struck up a conversation with Chi Chi.

"Say, Chi, where's that little squirt of yours? I would've thought he'd want to see the launch too."

Chi Chi chuckled slightly. "Launch, I told you: I prefer "Chi Chi." And I had Gohan stay home today to work on his physical therapy."

"By himself?"

"Of course not! My daddy stopped by last night to watch him so that I could come to the launch. Trust me, Gohan's in good hands."

Just then, the phone rang, causing Chi Chi to start slightly. After Oolong picked it up and talked to the caller for a moment, he passed it over to Chi Chi.

"It's your dad."

An uneasy feeling began to make its presence known in Chi Chi's stomach as she took the phone.

"Y-yes, daddy?"

"Oh God, Chi Chi, I'm so sorry! I was just coming in to give Gohan his lunch, but he wasn't there! He put some pillows under his bed to make me think it was occupied! I've looked all over the place, but I can't find him  **anywhere**!"

As the Ox King continued to ramble on over the phone, Chi Chi had to summon up all of her willpower to keep from dropping it outright, and looked up towards the sky in horror.

"No no no no no no no no no..." She muttered softly to herself, placing the phone into the palm of her hand to muffle her father's cries of anguish. Bad Launch watched her friend with concern before walking over to her.

"Hey, Chi, what's going on? Did something happen to Gohan?"

Chi Chi could say nothing, save for pointing up at the sky with a shaking finger. As understanding dawned, Bad Launch's eyes widened in shock, and she found herself staring at the sky in disbelief.

"Oh, son of a  **bitch** ," she muttered softly, as Chi Chi abruptly hung up on her father.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, the Namek Saga begins! This was definitely one of the harder ones for me to write, mostly because I simultaneously felt like I was padding too much and also not writing enough to really be worth uploading as a whole chapter. But, well, it's done, and relatively unchanged from canon minus Yamcha tagging along and some character interactions.
> 
> Anyway, there's something I've kind of been going back and forth on for a while as far as uploading this fic goes. My schedule's going to be a lot tighter for a while, and I'm worried that I won't be able to keep up the same pace of uploads that I have been. I thought about announcing a hiatus with the end of the Saiyan Saga in Chapter 10, but decided against it. I then thought about going forward with the hiatus anyway, but figured that'd be dumb to do in Chapter 11 or by adding it into the end of Chapter 10. I thought about trying to stick to the upload schedule I have anyway, seeing as I have two chapters down the pipeline, but figured that the stress would get to be too much to handle. Above all, I don't want uploading this fic to be stressful, because when uploading something's stressful, I stop. And I don't want to stop-this is the most I've stuck with any fic I've written in the history of ever. Not about to screw that up. So, ultimately, I'm deciding to go for a sort of compromise.
> 
> As of January 6th, 2019, Hermit is officially being uploaded every other Sunday starting from this chapter published on the 6th. So, you will all see Chapter 12 on the 20th, Chapter 13th on the 3rd of February, and so on. Hopefully this will give me the downtime I need to really focus on stuff in my actual life while also giving this fic the attention it deserves. Who knows? Might even be able to go back to the weekly schedule at some point. As always, thank you all for your patience and understanding.
> 
> Alright, questions from previous chapters on Fanfiction.net!
> 
> "Have you seen the Jiraiya vs. Master Roshi video on YouTube?"
> 
> No-I'm told I should. Kinda fell out of watching Death Battle a while back, but I'll probably get around to it sooner or later. All I know is he stomps.
> 
> "Will Tien go to Namek along with the rest of the Z fighters?"
> 
> Evidently not-besides, he's in a coma, and his medicine's about a month out.
> 
> "And will Roshi get to use his lightning attack that both harms and paralyzes his opponents?"
> 
> Gonna be a bit tough for him to do that in the near future, considering he's dead.
> 
> And finally, not much to say regarding power levels: Goku's at 10,000 post-Zenkai just like in the manga, and Krillin, Gohan Yamcha, and Piccolo just got a bit stronger through training/Zenkai on Gohan's end. Not really worth mentioning.
> 
> With all that said, thank you all for reading, and I'll see you guys in two weeks!


	13. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, and an errant Gohan make their way to Namek, events occur throughout the galaxy with serious ramifications for our heroes. Will Piccolo accept Kami's offer to fuse with him? What does the Frieza Force have in store for the wounded Vegeta? Find out next time on Hermit!

"You snuck aboard?!"

Two hours after they had left the Sol system, Yamcha had gone into one of the rooms within the ship, which Bulma had converted into a makeshift "cargo hold" for storing their capsules and various other necessities. After opening a microwave capsule and heating up some food, he heard the low sound of a stomach growling within the room. It didn't take long to deduce that it wasn't his own stomach, or to ultimately find Gohan hiding in an empty storage crate. Now, Gohan stood sheepishly before Bulma, Krillin, and Yamcha, the latter two looking as stern as they could while Bulma was both shocked and angry.

"Y-yeah..." he replied, looking away slightly. "I'm sorry, Miss Bulma. I just...wanted to help. Just like Master Roshi and Mr. Yamcha helped me."

Bulma looked down at him angrily before sighing. "I understand. Tell you the truth, I was hoping that you'd want to come with us, after hearing how strong you'd gotten. But the fact remains, your mom didn't want you to go, and you shouldn't have gone behind her back like this! I expect you to apologize to her when you get back!"

"Of course, Miss Bulma," Gohan replied.

"So, are we gonna turn around and drop him off?" Yamcha asked.

"I'm going to interpret that as you choosing to volunteer to greet Chi Chi when we land," Krillin replied sardonically.

Bulma mulled over this for a moment. "...Do you really believe Vegeta's alive, Krillin?"

Krillin considered this. "The evidence does seem to point to him at least surviving long enough to leave, probably to get medical treatment somewhere."

"And if they've got spaceships that can travel to distant worlds, I'm willing to bet their medical tech is probably better than ours too," Yamcha added.

"So for all we know, Vegeta could be up and about in days even after the beating he got, and from what my dad tells me, those Saiyan ships are six times faster than ours," Bulma finished. "That means we're up against the clock, and we likely can't afford losing half a day bringing him home."

Gohan couldn't help but brighten up slightly. "Y-you mean-?"

"Yeah, yeah, you can stay," Bulma replied. "But! Understand that while you're here, you have to listen to us, okay?"

"Understood!" Gohan replied readily, his face beaming at the prospect of being able to help. Bulma couldn't help but smile slightly along with the others, before a darker thought entered their heads all at the same time. Krillin gathered his breath before speaking up.

"...Not being the one to talk to Chi Chi, 1-2-3, not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not it-ah...damn it." Bulma groaned.

* * *

Day 2

After several hours of Krillin and Yamcha instructing Gohan in the discipline of mental training, the three had finally begun a productive training session when they were interrupted by Bulma stumbling into the room from her quarters, evidently too tired to have cared about changing out of her clothes from the night before. As she collapsed onto a couch they had set up nearby, Krillin finally opened his eyes and addressed the cause of her lack of sleep.

"So...how'd the video call-?"

"I. Hate.  **All of you** ," Bulma replied somewhat groggily. "Oh, God, I thought Launch in her Bad form was too much to deal with..."

Krillin simply chuckled. "I take it you were eventually able to reach an agreement?"

"Ironically enough, I have Goku to thank for that. If he hadn't chimed in from his hospital bed, she might not have stopped."

"Still, all's well that ends well, right?"

"I'm half convinced she's going to murder me in my sleep when we get back."

Yamcha chuckled. "Well, if she does, she'll have to go through me, babe." He walked over and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"Nooo. I'm mad at you," Bulma said, lazily attempting to wave him away to his amusement.

"Alright, fair enough."

Krillin chuckled himself. "So, Bulma, you've got two months left to live. What are you going to do?"

"Dunno. Lemme get...back to...you..." she began before her lack of sleep caught up with her, and she drifted off. Yamcha smiled before slowly reaching down and picking her up, using his prosthetic to bear most of the weight as he carried her back to her room.

* * *

Day 6

"RRAAAGGH!"

The rock face immediately in front of Piccolo exploded instantly under the force of his kiai, a testament to how his power had slightly increased in the days following the Saiyan attack. Satisfied with the completion of his morning training exercise, Piccolo then began to float in the air as he prepared to meditate. However, his efforts were foiled more than once as various thoughts intruded into his mind.

_His father laughing maniacally as he felt his consciousness beaten back into the furthest corners of his mind._

He grumbled slightly before continuing.

_Kami's voice having grown far more hoarse since he had last spoken to him._

He scrunched his eyes in slightly in order to keep them closed.

_The look in Gohan's eyes when he fired that ki blast-_

He opened his eyes, his efforts momentarily arrested as his thoughts returned to the subject of Kami's proposal. After being stuck on the question for several minutes, he growled slightly to himself, and resumed his efforts at meditation more readily than before.

" _This_ sentiment _...I must not let it cloud my judgement!"_ he thought to himself, and yet still he could not completely shake away the thoughts that were entering his mind. He nevertheless resigned himself to the task of focusing on his meditation anyway, hoping that he may manage it within a reasonable time frame after all.

* * *

Day 10

Dr. Briefs sat calmly in the viewing room of Capsule Corp's Lab Delta, watching as the latest model of equipment for his most recent creation was brought into the lab for testing. When his daughter had come to him with the idea of modifying the artificial gravity generator to exceed Earth's level of gravity, he had to question the practicality of installing such a device. Nevertheless, he couldn't deny being intrigued by the possibility, and thus had spent the last two weeks modifying the generator and designing the equipment to withstand such intense gravitational forces.

"Alright, fire it up!" he announced over a microphone to lab workers operating in another room. They promptly switched on the artificial gravity generator they had installed and kicked it up to one hundred times Earth gravity. Dr. Briefs watched for a few tentative moments as some slight creaking became audible, before the noise subsided and the equipment remained stable.

"Confirmed," one of the lab workers announced. "Gravitational stress levels within acceptable range."

Dr. Briefs sighed in relief. "Alright, Lucas. Have your team make some slight adjustments to the instruments before sunset. I want us to begin installing this into the training room tomorrow morning."

"Copy that, sir." With that, the crew began to pack everything up, leaving Dr. Briefs time to retire to his personal living quarters within the facility, where his wife stood waiting with a glass of lemonade and sandwiches. He sat down in a nearby chair and was reminded of the journey his daughter was undergoing. He sighed audibly, his concern evident.

"Stay safe out there. Please," he whispered to himself before turning on the television, hoping to turn his thoughts towards other channels.

* * *

"What exactly are we looking at?"

Yamcha, Gohan, and Krillin hovered over Bulma as she stared at the navigational monitor, trying to make sense of the readings she was getting. The three looked up out the window, confirming that the two images presented were in fact identical.

"It looks like...a planet. One which matches the computer's description of Namek in every sense. "

"Huh. But, weren't we supposed to get there in another 24 days?" Gohan asked.

"We were! It doesn't make any sense!"

"What does the computer say it is?" Yamcha asked.

"Hm...computer: identify planetary body in this system, bearing 351 mark 247."

The computer whirred and beeped intermittently as it processed the coordinates.

"Confirmed: planetary body identified as Planet AF159," it said as it displayed the image of a rocky, foreboding planet, quite dissimilar from the serene planet they could see out their window.

"Properties?"

"Atmosphere: 25% oxygen, 75% nitrogen. Surface temperature: 10 degrees Celsius. Rudimentary data confirms presence of life-no indication that said life is intelligent. Warning: Upper atmosphere experiences extreme turbulence-atmospheric entry not recommended."

"Run a comparison between this planet and recorded data concerning the planet Namek."

"...Analysis complete: the two planets are 38% similar."

Bulma looked at the monitor quizzically for a second, while Yamcha eventually shrugged. "Welp. Looks like this isn't Namek."

"And like somewhere we don't want to be," Krillin chimed in.

Bulma sighed. "Agreed. Computer: take us back on our original heading, and...run a full diagnostic of the life support systems while you're at it."

"Confirmed," the computer replied as it began its work, readjusting the ship's heading and returning them to their original course.

* * *

Day 24

Kami sat down on the tiled floor of the Lookout, his eyes closed as he reached out towards the world with his senses, feeling the energy of everything which called the planet Earth its home. He could easily sense the energy of Dr. Briefs as his work on the ship continued; Goku as he was left resting, impatiently waiting for Korin to finish growing a new batch of Senzu beans; even the energy of Launch sitting at Tien Shinhan's side was difficult for him to miss as he sat atop his Lookout. And, of course, he sensed the approach of a ki signature towards his own location, one all too familiar to him.

"Piccolo," he said simply, not turning around as the Namekian landed a few feet behind him. "I assume you have made your decision?"

"...Yes. I believe I have," Piccolo replied with an uncharacteristic hesitation.

"And?"

Piccolo paused as he considered what he was about to say next. He took a deep breath before he began.

"I've devoted quite a lot of time towards this question, alongside an even stricter training regimen. At first...I wasn't quite sure what to think about your proposal. The idea of your mind becoming a part of my own seemed at first to be not all that dissimilar from my previous situation with my father. The risk of my personality being lost or else intermixed with yours was, frankly, unpalatable. And I was rather incensed at the prospect of having to, in a sense, rely on another's power to grow stronger. But...the longer I thought about it, the more I realized...none of that really mattered in the end."

Kami raised an eyebrow as Piccolo went on. "Without a doubt, this situation would wound my honor as a warrior, to have to rely on another for survival and the strength required to surpass my rival and enemies. There are, of course, definite risks to the situation, and yet...I've come to realize that  **not** taking that risk would wound my honor even more. To not be awarded the opportunity to die in battle-indeed, not even to die after living a long and fulfilled life-would be, to my mind, the ultimate disgrace. To die solely because another life must expire, depriving you of the chance to live your own...I can imagine no worse fate for either a warrior or a man. And that is what would occur should I allow things to proceed as they are." He took a long breath before concluding, "I... **want** to live. I want to be able to grow stronger, strong enough to surpass Son Goku, Vegeta, and everyone else. I want to explore what life as my own entity, free of my father's influence, truly means. Thus, even in light of the unknown variables involved...I believe I am left with no other option than to agree."

Kami nodded. "I see. Well, then-"

"But first," Piccolo interrupted, "I have one condition."

"...Proceed."

"I do not wish to be held responsible for taking up your mantle or choosing a successor. Once you have fused with me, my connection to this place, this position, is to be considered dissolved. You can leave any matters concerning it to your servant."

Kami sighed before nodding. "Very well. Now then...are you certain of your choice?"

Piccolo considered the question for a moment before nodding.

"I understand." Kami got up and turned to face Piccolo.

"Is there anything you wish to say to your servant, or any of Earth's warriors still here?" Piccolo asked the aging Namekian.

"I already relayed my goodbyes through Yajirobe. And...me and Mr. Popo discussed the matter last night," Kami replied. "He was...less than pleased, but respectful of my wishes. I hope that you will show him some kindness should you change your mind about becoming Earth's Guardian."

"Believe me, I won't. I have no intention of becoming like you."

Kami smirked slightly. "If you say so. Now, then, I've taken the liberty of some slight introspection over the last month. I believe I am aware of how the process was intended to work." Kami walked over to Piccolo's position, standing a mere three feet away from him. "You must place your hand upon me. I shall initiate the process."

Piccolo held out his hand, hesitating for a second before placing his palm firmly onto Kami's chest.

"One thing: the process may be a bit...disorienting, but try to remain calm," Kami cautioned.

"I understand."

Kami remained silent for a while before chuckling. Piccolo raised his eyebrow in confusion, causing him to chuckle further.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of a human expression I've always liked," Kami replied before sighing somewhat morosely. "Over 300 years dedicated towards this planet and every living thing who calls it home. Even in light of the disasters my own existence has levied upon it...the invasions I was left powerless to prevent...I suppose some could say I had a 'good run' after all, wouldn't you agree?" Kami chuckled again before looking Piccolo in the eyes. "I can only hope that, in some way, no matter how small...this will allow me to be of use once again."

With that, Kami closed his eyes with a slight smile, before he became enveloped in a light blue aura of energy. Piccolo's arm tensed slightly as it made contact with this aura, but he stood his ground. With several gasps of exertion, Kami's body gradually faded away, the blue aura traveling up the length of Piccolo's arm before enveloping him in turn, casting the entire Lookout in a great plume of blue light.

After a few moments, the light dissipated, and Piccolo alone was left standing there, his mind swimming as a whole host of memories and knowledge he had never known tried to integrate itself with his own mind. After another few minutes of adjusting to this flow of information, Piccolo glanced down at this hands, already sensing the awesome power which his new form was now capable of.

"Unreal..." Piccolo muttered before his excitement started to build. "This...this is amazing! I feel  **incredible**!"

His body suddenly sprang into action as he basked in its new power. "Yes! Yes! Yes!  **Yes**! I can  **win**! I feel  **great**!  **I**!  **Can**!  **Do**!  **This**!  **HAH** -!"

" _What are you doing?"_

Piccolo gasped in astonishment, nearly falling over in his shock. "Aha-ah! Uh...n-nothing!"

" _Are you sure? You seemed to be...chanting to yourself. Rather enthusiastically, I might add."_

"Are you...in my mind?"

" _It would appear so. I have no idea whether this is temporary or not, but I can tell you one thing-I suspect that I possess no influence over your mind and actions whatsoever beyond my own words. So, for however long my consciousness may exist here, I will simply immerse myself into the role of adviser."_

"So, in other words, you'll be able to lecture me for however long you're not absorbed by my subconscious?" Piccolo remarked dryly.

" _Oh, come now. Surely I'm not_ that  _irritating?"_

"Hm...no. No, you most definitely are."

Kami's familiar chuckle reverberated through his head. " _Well, hopefully you'll find me to be of some use."_

"Hmph." Piccolo crossed his arms as he looked down at the world below.

" _So...if you don't mind my asking, what are you going to do first?"_

Piccolo mulled over this before a slight smirk came over his features.

"...I think I'll be going to our homeworld, after all."

* * *

Day 27

Frieza Planet 79 was far from the most remarkable planet within Frieza's empire, but as a major outpost positioned so close to a relatively unexplored and mysterious sector of the galaxy, its usefulness was plain to see. The hundreds of soldiers and support staff stationed within the central compound of the planet had one job: to attend to the needs of high ranking members of the Frieza Forces as they extended their great leader's influence throughout the cosmos. Thus, it was somewhat ironic that their present mission-one they had been alerted to over a month in advance-would, in a sense, be the exact opposite of that job description, yet still in the service of their primary directive. A team of scouts had been monitoring the planetary sensor grid day and night ever since they received their orders, and at long last, during the early hours of the planet's morning, they finally detected their target.

"Lord Cui!" a short, green alien cried out, running frantically into the quarters of the station's impromptu commander this past month. The "lord" in question-a tall purple alien with heavyset lips and facial features resembling a fish-carefully set down a mug of a teal liquid.

"Yes, officer?" Cui replied.

"He's here!" the low-ranking soldier replied, causing Cui's eyes to widen and a large grin to play across his features. The soldier didn't have to clarify who he meant.

"Bring him in immediately. If he's dead, send him back into space. If he can be saved, stabilize him. If he  **can't** be saved," he paused as his smile grew wider, "Notify me. I want to finish him off myself."

"Yes, Lord Cui!" the alien said before racing off to carry out his orders. Satisfied beyond words, the high-ranking officer turned around and returned to his drink, before his door hissed open yet again to admit two other aliens.

"Private Chila sure seemed like he was in a hurry," the one on the left remarked.

"Indeed. Tell us, Cui-has our target arrived?"

Cui set down his drink with a sigh. "You are correct. It seems our monkey friend has returned to the fold...in a manner of speaking."

"Excellent!" The one on the right remarked. "We have been anxious to test our power against him."

"I still do not quite understand why your assistance was deemed crucial," Cui replied, his irritation evident. "I'm quite capable of handling one stubborn little monkey."

"Lord Frieza seems to disagree with that assessment," the left one answered smugly.

"Are you saying you do not agree with our great leader?" the right one queried.

Cui grimaced slightly.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order, dear brother?" the right one posited.

"My thoughts exactly, brother."

Cui looked at the two of them with a mixture of contempt and interest. " _Ah, yes. Their_ miraculous  _ability. Well, I'm sure that its power still pales in comparison to-"_

"MERGE!" the two cried out in unison, before being consumed by a red and white light. Cui instinctively shut his eyes as the process continued. After a moment, the merging was complete, and Cui opened up his eyes to see a significantly larger alien standing before him. Rather than the red and blue coloration of the two aliens, this new alien had dark purple skin, along with a significantly more bulky physique and spiky protrusions throughout his chin and limbs. Cui gulped slightly, but swiftly regained his composure as he activated his scouter.

"You may appear fearsome, but I doubt that the power afforded by this form is so much greater than-" he began before pausing in shock as his scouter beeped, indicating that it had gathered enough data to generate a reading. After staring at the numbers in disbelief for a few seconds, the fusion taunted him.

"Well, commander? What does it say?"

"T-twenty six...thousand," he replied, his breathing shaky.

"Huh. That's funny-could've sworn it was less," the fusion remarked with a smirk before a quick burst of light reversed the process.

"In any event, we hope that this clarifies things for you," the red alien began. "Now, then, if you have no further comments, we shall leave you to deal with your new prisoner."

"Will you join me for a drink in the mess hall, Kado?" the blue alien asked.

"Certainly, Abo."

With that, the door hissed open before closing again, leaving Cui alone with nothing but his thoughts to occupy him. After a few seconds of horrified silence, he clenched his fist in anger at his cowardice, and marched through the door with determination in his eyes.

" _I don't care how strong those idiots' parlor trick is-_ I  _will be the one to kill Vegeta after all these years! You hear me?!_ Me!"

* * *

Day 28

Vegeta dozed slightly as the sedative he had been administered upon regaining consciousness wore off. However, the loud hiss of a door opening and light entering the dark cell in which he had been placed caused him to open his eyes before screwing them shut as a result of the glare.

"Well, well, well," he heard a somewhat nasally voice drone on. "It's been a while, huh, 'friend?'"

"Indeed it has, Cui," Vegeta replied once the door closed. "Tell me: still stuck on backwater assignments?"

"Hm. I suppose you could say that. Pest control  **is** a rather dull assignment compared to conquering rival interstellar empires."

"I take it from the fact that I'm being held here rather than heading out to the nearest docking bay while being forced to listen to your two-bit insults means that Frieza monitored our scouters."

"Exactly right," Cui replied. "And if you guessed that, then you must also know just what our master heard, and where he's been heading for the last month or so."

"So it would seem. And I'm assuming the only reason I'm still alive is that you need me to tell you everything I know about these 'Dragon Balls.'"

"Right again. So, since you know full well how powerful I am, surely you must know that resistance is futile. You will tell us everything we wish to know, or you will suffer unspeakable pain."

Vegeta chuckled sardonically. "Trust me, fish-lips. After what I endured on Earth, nothing at your disposal will be able to break me. But, if you'd like to speed things along, I'm more than happy to cooperate."

Cui blinked a few times before looking at Vegeta quizzically. "C-come again?"

"From what I heard while on the planet Earth, Dragon Balls have a specified period after use during which they must recharge-likely tied directly to their host planet's own rotation. Given Namek's rotation, this means that their Dragon Balls would take 113 days to recharge after use. To my knowledge, they can only grant one wish, and they will be deactivated permanently if the Namekian who created them is killed. The legend states that there are seven, however I have not had the chance to confirm this. I do not know their exact appearance other than that they are spherical, hence being referred to as 'balls.' I'm also assuming that they have something to do with some kind of dragon creature, because otherwise, the name comes off as being rather silly."

Cui was left shocked at Vegeta's sudden cooperativeness, so shocked that he didn't hear the beep of his scouter, which he had activated upon entering the room to assess Vegeta's level of power prior to the interrogation. "W-why are you telling me this? Are you trying to deceive me?!"

"Not at all. As I told you, I am more than happy to answer your questions."

"But why?! Surely you must know that we're going to kill you either way, simply for having the audacity to betray Lord Frieza! So why would you wish to cooperate at all?!"

"Really, Cui, it's quite simple, if you'll give me a moment to explain." Cui slowly nodded his head, allowing Vegeta to continue. "Well, to start with, tell me: what do you know about Saiyans?"

"Uh...you turn into apes...you lived on another planet prior to living on Planet Vegeta...your species is naturally capable of bearing ten gees of gravitational force...your species was in the Frieza Force for about...ten years?"

Vegeta chuckled. "I see. Well, allow me to enlighten you on another factoid about the Saiyans. You see, we Saiyans are, above all else, a race of warriors. Our very physiology is adapted for survival in almost any environment. We can resist variations in temperature, hold our breath underwater for up to thirty minutes at a time, and even function in the upper atmosphere of some planets for extended periods. But above all, our race's greatest survival mechanism is...the Zenkai."

Cui cocked his head. "The Zen-what now?"

"The Zenkai is our name for a physiological process which occurs after we recover from a near-fatal injury. Through means which our scientists were still investigating prior to Planet Vegeta's destruction, part of our bodies' natural healing process involves it 'taking stock,' as it were, of what led us to our present state. Our bodies are capable of assessing the specific cause of various injuries, and engaging rapid physiological changes in order for us to stand a better chance of surviving going forward."

Cui, who had begun to grow somewhat tired of the long-winded explanation, finally noticed the small notification on his scouter's readout, and moved to check it while Vegeta continued talking.

"In particular, after surviving a battle against a foe of superior power, our bodies can gauge the level of power based on the extent of the damage...and alter themselves accordingly."

Cui's eyes widened in shock as he read the scouter's earlier reading, causing what Vegeta had just said to appear to reverberate even louder throughout the room. " _T-twenty six-?! No!_ No!  _The scouter's broken! It has to be!"_

"To return to the original question you asked me, well, as I said before, it's really quite simple." Vegeta easily broke apart the restraints holding him up until that point with a kiai, causing Cui to flinch instinctively before thinking to charge a ki blast. "The reason that I'm telling you all of this-"

" **DIE**!" Cui screamed in desperation, unleashing a ki blast with all of his strength at the prince, atomizing the room and a good portion of the compound in its wake. When the smoke cleared, the Saiyan prince was nowhere to be seen, and Cui smirked for only a moment before he heard a rush of wind from behind him. He started to turn around, only to hear the sickening sound of something penetrating his chest.

"-is because you're not going to live to tell anyone...' **friend**.'"

Vegeta landed a powerful kick on Cui's back, sending him flying out of the destroyed room and into the sky. Vegeta concentrated his ki into two of his fingers before jerking them upwards, generating a burst of ki all throughout the immediate vicinity of Cui's bleeding body and vaporizing him completely.

* * *

The elder of the two brothers, both of whom had fallen into a light sleep once Cui's interrogation began, was the first to awaken to the sound of a massive explosion. He hurriedly jostled the other awake, and Abo and Kado fused immediately and grabbed a scouter as they rushed to assess the cause of the unexpected attack. Even flying as fast as he could within the facility's hallways, by the time Aka had arrived at the source of the scouter's highest power reading, most of the compound had already been obliterated along with everyone inside of it. He looked slightly upwards to see Vegeta grinning sadistically as he fired another ki blast to pick off a handful of survivors. Aka growled slightly, both in anger for defying his master and anticipation for the coming battle. He fired a ki blast at the Saiyan prince, causing him to react at the last second by knocking it away with the back of his hand.

"Hm. Don't know if I've met you or your species before," Vegeta said frankly.

"Name's Aka, of the planet Symbia," the fusion replied, equally frank. "I take it that Cui's dead?"

"Extremely," Vegeta said, his satisfaction evident.

"Hmph. Never liked that toad much anyway," he remarked. "But if you think I'm going to leave a job unfinished, you're mistaken."

"Figured as much," Vegeta said, powering up to the full extent of his power and charging the brutish fusion with a fierce battle cry. He readied a powerful right hook, but found his attack intercepted by a forearm block. The two lifted up further into the air as they exchanged a series of blows, neither one managing to gain the upper hand.

" _Damn it! How the hell is this guy as powerful as I am?!"_ They both thought simultaneously, floating backwards slightly to gain some distance and catch their breath.

"You're not too bad, monkey," Aka said, panting. "You're actually making me try here."

"Tch. Glad to oblige," Vegeta said sardonically.

"But unfortunately, without your tail, you don't have any way to get tougher. So, it all comes down to who can beat the other in a straight fight."

"...So it would seem," Vegeta said with a slight scowl. Aka, meanwhile, sneered and began charging up a series of ki blasts before firing them at the Saiyan. Vegeta dodged most of them with little effort, but was forced to block the last blast with his forearm, causing some of the bones within it to break. He retaliated with his own salvo, but found Aka pushing past most of them before grabbing him and ramming him into one of the few undamaged sections of the compound. As he dragged him along the wall, tearing it up as he went and leaving considerable injuries upon Vegeta, Vegeta slowly charged up a small ki blast before firing it at Aka's left eye. Although it did no damage, it easily destroyed his scouter and left him distracted enough for Vegeta to land a solid punch to his stomach to escape.

However, as soon as he recovered, he went after Vegeta with renewed vigor, propelling himself forward with a ki blast to make up for the difference in innate flight speed. Despite Vegeta's attempts to retaliate, Aka managed to grab him in a bear hug and begin crushing him. Vegeta squirmed as much as he could, managing to headbutt the alien and escape once again after thirty seconds. As Vegeta floated away, bones broken all throughout his body, Aka grinned. It was clear to both sides that, all else being equal, Aka's size gave him a definite advantage in strength. However, Vegeta knew of one advantage he still possessed, although he was loathe to utilize it.

" _At this point, my options seem rather limited. Now, let's see if I remember..."_ He thought as he turned to meet Aka's charge. He drew his hands to his face and tried to imitate the technique as best as he could manage.

"SOLAR FLARE!" he cried out, summoning forth a burst of light which blinded Aka and sent him flying off course. Vegeta capitalized on this, flying to the side and landing a powerful elbow strike to Aka's large neck, sending him crashing towards the ground. Before he could recover, Vegeta began charging up his signature attack.

"GALICK GUN...!" he began just as Aka managed to bring himself back up to his feet. He grimaced before charging up his own attack.

"WAHAHA NO HA!" he cried out, firing out a green energy sphere from his mouth.

" **FIRE**!" Vegeta cried out only a second later, firing out a massive beam of purple crackling ki. At first, the two techniques were held in a relative stalemate, but as both sides continued to struggle, the Galick Gun slowly but surely gained ground. In desperation, Aka charged up two smaller ki blasts in his hands to add to the beam, but even this proved fruitless as the Galick Gun steadily overpowered the Wahaha no Ha despite his continued efforts. The area gradually became enveloped in residual purple light as the attack finally hit Aka directly, vaporizing the ground beneath him along with most of his uniform.

When the dust settled, Vegeta floated himself with his ki just enough to stop himself from hitting the ground. He shakily got to his feet to examine the condition of his opponent, who in turn struggled to crawl out of the hole he found himself in. Although most of his armor was gone and blood vessels were damaged all throughout his body, he still continued to float forwards. He looked up at Vegeta with a look of pure bloodlust.

"That...all you...got...monkey? I'm still...more than capable...of bringing you dow-!"

Just then, Aka's body convulsed before becoming enveloped in a red and white light. In a matter of seconds, Aka split back into his individual components, Abo and Kado, who found themselves face to face with the wounded, yet now far more powerful, Vegeta sneering over them. Panic soon presented itself across both of their faces, and they hurriedly put their hands together in an act of sheer desperation.

"Merge! Merge! Fuse! Join! Combine!  **Anything**!" The two cried out in unison as Vegeta took one shaky step after another to get closer to them.

"W-wait!" Kado remarked. "W-we can still be useful to you! If you trained us up a bit, imagine how much more powerful Aka could become!"

"We could help you defeat Frieza!" Ado added. "W-we swear on our lives, we shall become your most faithful servants! Just let us live, please!"

Vegeta smirked at their offer before seemingly changing his mind, extending a hand towards Ado. Ado hastily took it and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet.

"T-thank you, my lord! We promise you, we will not let you-ACK!"

As he spoke, Vegeta let go of his outstretched hand, revealing some slight residual ki around one of his fingers which had fired a finger beam through Abo's chest. With a cry of terror, Kado hastily made his retreat before Vegeta fired off another finger beam, piercing Kado in the back of his head and killing him instantly. With a noticeable grunt of exertion, Vegeta looked down upon his defeated foes with contempt.

" _Without that technique of theirs...they were barely even worth killing_ ," he thought to himself with a snort before his thoughts were interrupted by a plasma bolt harmlessly hitting the back of his head. He turned around to look at the source of the disturbance, finding a squadron of Frieza's soldiers who had made their way down to his position. He cleared his throat as he observed their look of utter terror.

"Well! As you can see, your weapons and your own individual power are no match for me even in my wounded state. Thus, you have two options: either serve your master to your last breath and die by my hand," he said, to the collective apprehension of all of the soldiers involved, "Or, get me to a healing chamber and furnish me with a ship immediately, and be allowed to live...for now. I expect your decision within the next thirty seconds."

As the soldiers looked at each other with apprehension, one of them yelled out a battle cry. "Die, traitorous scum-!" he got out before a finger beam pierced his chest and left him to fall to the ground mid-flight.

"Did I say thirty seconds? I meant  **five** ," Vegeta remarked idly. Within another two, the other soldiers were hurriedly nodding and bowing their heads before Vegeta, two of them taking the initiative and helping Vegeta fly up off the ground and towards the nearest healing tank in what was left of the compound.

" _Yes...it won't be long now. I'll leave as soon as I'm back to full strength, and with a faster ship, I'll be able to beat Frieza and his lackeys there! And then...immortality will be mine!"_

He chuckled slightly as the door hissed open and the soldiers helped him back into the medical tank to be fully healed once more.

* * *

Day 34

"Gohan! Hey, Gohan! Wake up!"

Gohan blinked a couple times as his eyes adjusted to see Krillin hovering over him.

"What's going on?" he said, rubbing his eyes as he pulled himself out of bed.

"We're here!" Krillin replied, causing Gohan to wake up almost immediately. The boy hurriedly changed into the training gi Piccolo had made for him and met the others at the bridge.

"So, you're certain that this isn't another sensor glitch?" Yamcha asked Bulma, who swiftly shook her head. "Alright, awesome!" He moved to one of the seats and promptly strapped in, Krillin and Bulma following suit as the computer handled their descent. "Uh, Gohan, you might want to buckle up, bud-this is going to get pretty bumpy."

"Oh. Uh, alright," Gohan replied, strapping into a seat next to Krillin. "Didn't really bother me before."

"Hm?" Krillin asked, his mind having been elsewhere during the conversation.

"The takeoff. It didn't bother me all that much."

"...Huh. Weird," Krillin remarked.

"Alright, guys, entering the atmosphere now-brace yourselves!" Bulma replied from the helm of the ship just as it began shaking with the force of entry. As Gohan looked out one of the windows, he could see the air around the ship heating up before gradually dissipating, and within less than a minute, the shaking ceased following a loud thud as the ship landed. After a moment for everyone to catch their breath, Bulma unbuckled her seatbelt and gazed out the window, taking in the sight of the green sky and blue fields before her.

"Well...we made it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have landed!
> 
> As you can probably tell from way back in Chapter 2, I'm not the best at writing chapters describing individual events across long time frames-the year of training on the Lookout, the month-long journey to Namek, etc. It always feels like I'm either not putting in enough scenes or putting in too many, so hopefully that wasn't a problem here.
> 
> And yeah, finally got the answer to a few questions, huh? Including Aka was kinda spur of the moment back when I was writing Chapter 10-originally, I just had Vegeta get his enhanced boost, kill Cui and everyone else at the base, then leave for Namek, and from there it'd proceed as normal. I figured that was boring, and also, I gotta admit, I like those two-felt they were underutilized. So, I found a way to incorporate them into the story in a way that makes sense, and also gives Vegeta his power boost a little early. As time has gone on, I've tried finding little ways to switch the story up to make it a more enjoyable experience-hopefully that's paying off.
> 
> Anyway, question from FF.net:
> 
> "When will we see Master Roshi again?"
> 
> When he isn't dead. Revealing when exactly that will be is a fairly significant spoiler for what I've got going forward with this saga, so please do not pester me on this.
> 
> Alright, so power levels:
> 
> Vegeta(post-Zenkai): 26,000
> 
> Vegeta(Galick Gun): 32,000
> 
> Aka(Wahaha no Ha): 29,000
> 
> Piccolo(post-training): 3,675
> 
> Piccolo(post-fusion): 20,000
> 
> Yamcha, Krillin, Gohan: No change(just got better at ki control through mental training)
> 
> Cui: 18,000
> 
> Abo and Kado: I envisioned their merge technique as like a power multiplication thing, so to produce 26,000 in Aka, Abo is 130 while Kado is 200.
> 
> Frieza Planet 79 soldiers: 750-1,000
> 
> With all that said, hope you all enjoyed reading this, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.


	14. The Invaders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, Bulma, Krillin, Gohan, and Yamcha are on Namek, but they're in for a far less warm welcome than they were expecting. Frieza and his most elite soldiers have beaten them to the punch, leaving the Earthlings up against almost insurmountable odds as they race against Frieza's army for control of the Dragon Balls, while doing what they can to help the innocent Namekians caught in the cross-fire. Can the mysterious Lord Guru and his attendant Nail give them the help they need, or is there truly no way to stop the most powerful being in the universe from realizing his sinister ambitions?

As the others disembarked from the ship, Bulma pulled out her Dragon Radar and began scanning for the Dragon Balls' unique energy signature.

"I anticipated that the signature of these Namekian balls wouldn't be identical to that of our own, but the radar should be able to re-calibrate itself soon..." Bulma said absentmindedly, intent upon her device's readings. Meanwhile, Gohan and Krillin explored the immediate vicinity, too distracted by the wonders of the alien landscape to bother to sense for any living creatures.

"Wow...so this is where Mr. Piccolo came from, huh?" Gohan remarked.

"So it seems. Looks like a rather serene place. Hard to imagine a guy like King Piccolo coming from here...technically," Krillin replied.

"Hm. I think Mr. Piccolo would like it, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He likes quiet places-helps him focus on meditation."

Krillin chuckled. "Yeah. That's right-you  **did** spend a year alone with the guy. You probably know him a lot better than any of us," he remarked before pausing. "...What is he like?"

Gohan thought for a moment. "He's...reserved. He only talks when he deems it necessary."

"Funny. His dad seemed fond of monologueing," Krillin replied with a short laugh, to which Gohan replied in kind.

"But, he's also kinda intense, in his own way. Very intimidating."

"Mhm. I hear that."

Just then, the Dragon Radar began beeping, signalling that it had detected something.

"Got it!" Bulma cried out as Gohan and Krillin rushed to her side to see for themselves. Yamcha began to step forward, but paused while Bulma announced her findings. "So, it looks like there are seven balls here, just like on Earth, although...huh. That's odd."

"What is it?" Gohan asked.

"Three of them are on their own, but four of them are clustered together."

"Maybe the locals are gathering them for something?" Krillin posited.

"Well, if they are, I'm hoping they won't mind lending us a wish."

As the three of them talked, Yamcha began pacing nearby. "Hey, uh, do you two...feel anything?" he asked Krillin and Gohan.

Gohan shook his head while Krillin turned to him and reached out with his senses. "Eh, don't think so," he replied before taking pause. "Wait a second..."

"Where are the four balls clustered?" Gohan asked.

"Looks like...a flat plain somewhere on the western continent," Bulma replied. "I wonder..."

Yamcha and Krillin both looked around, evidently sensing the same thing, yet struggling to pinpoint the source. At last, however, Yamcha managed to localize two signatures nearby. Krillin reached out further, and rushed to shout out a warning as Yamcha already leaped into the air in front of the ship.

"Guys, get down!" Krillin cried out, hurriedly flying forward and pulling both Gohan and Bulma to the ground. No sooner had he done this than he heard the sound of some kind of energy blast, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground amidst cries of pain.

"Mr. Yamcha!" Gohan cried out, getting up off the ground along with the others to look at the source of the blast: two aliens carrying what appeared to be plasma guns and wearing a similar style of armor as they had seen the Saiyans wear on Earth, complete with green and red scouters. One alien had light purple skin and horns, along with almost golden hair, while the other was darker purple and had a more reptilian appearance.

"Ha! Look at him, Banan!" the reptilian one remarked. "He flopped around in the dirt like a Tarkasian Gillfin!"

"Indeed, Sui!" Banan replied with a hearty laugh. "Let his pathetic cries of pain serve as a warning,  **tourists** : Lord Frieza has decreed that any ship found having landed on this planet is to be destroyed and its crew detained! Surrender now and avoid further punishment!"

Krillin balled his fists. "Is that so?" he replied. "Well, why don't we give you a counter offer?" He nodded to Gohan, and the two took off into the air with all their speed.

"W-what the-?!" Sui cried out before Gohan punched him in the stomach with all of his strength, while Krillin swiftly followed with a mighty kick to Banan's jaw, leaving the two of them to collide with each other mid-air before falling unconscious into a nearby lake. After taking a short breath, Krillin moved back to Bulma's position while Gohan rushed to Yamcha's side.

"What the-?! Who the hell were those guys?! Who's this 'Lord Freeza' person?! Why'd they try to blow up the ship?!"

"I'll explain later. Listen-did you outfit the ship with a capsule slot?"

"I-agh, no! I didn't think it would be necessary!"

Krillin sighed. "Well, no use worrying about it now. We need to get ourselves and the ship out of sight as quickly as possible." Krillin looked off to Yamcha's position to see Gohan helping him walk back towards them.

"Well, where would you suggest we put it?" Bulma asked.

Krillin mulled over this until his eyes fell upon the nearby lake.

"Where, indeed..."

* * *

After a few minutes, the crew had managed to hastily relocate the ship to the bottom of the lake, mere moments before a horde of energy signatures could be felt overhead by the warriors aboard.

"Holy  **crap**!" Yamcha cried out as he felt the power at the head of the pack of signatures.

"Yeah, we felt it too," Krillin added nervously.

"T-that guy in front...he was like fifty Vegetas rolled into one!" Gohan remarked in panic.

"Not to mention the two powers with that guy that were above Vegeta's," Yamcha said. "If they're gathering these Dragon Balls, getting them for ourselves is going to be tricky."

"Okay, so, remember when you said that you'd explain things later?" Bulma asked Krillin somewhat snarkily before pointing to an imaginary watch on her wrist.

"Right," Krillin replied. "Well, from what we heard, this 'Frieza' is some galactic dictator-incredibly powerful, and someone Vegeta wanted to kill in pursuit of his own dream of conquering the universe."

"Okay. And how did he know to come here?"

Krillin coughed before answering. "From what Roshi told me telepathically, the Namekian Dragon Balls are regarded as a legend throughout the galaxy. And, as you know, the Scouters also serve as transmitters."

"...Meaning this Frieza guy was listening in on Nappa and Vegeta back on Earth, where they talked about the Dragon Balls."

Krillin nodded in apprehension.

"You said he was fifty Vegetas?"

Krillin nodded again.

"And, the most you guys could do against  **one** Vegeta at full strength was...?"

The other two were silent as Krillin mumbled slightly, "Cut him in the side."

"Great! Just,  **great**! We're all going to die on an alien planet! And we won't even have Dragon Balls to fix everything! Why?! Why must the greats die young in this cruel, uncaring universe?!"

Krillin and Gohan looked to each other with weary eyes while Yamcha did his best to calm Bulma down.

"...So, ideas?"

"Well, those scouter things can detect people's power levels, right?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah..."

"So what if they're only finding the Dragon Balls by locating the power levels of the Namekians?"

"...Which means that if we got just one ball, which  **we** can locate, and hid it away, then we could at the very least delay whatever wish Frieza's aiming for!"

"I mean...seems pretty obvious that it's immortality, doesn't it?" Gohan asked frankly, to which Krillin was forced to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, yeah, probably. But still-it's a good plan! While his goons are busy searching for the ball, we could sneak the others away later by hiding our power levels!"

"Miss Bulma, where was the nearest Dragon Ball located?"

Bulma, who had only just then managed to calm herself, was somewhat behind. "Hm? Oh, uh, about 527 kilometers that-a-way," she said, pointing towards the northeast.

"Feels like there are people there," Yamcha added. "I'm sensing a handful of individuals, probably a group of Namekians."

"Hm...alright," Krillin said, thinking their plan over as he picked up the Dragon Radar, which had been discarded on the floor. "Bulma, have the ship hover above the lake for a minute-me and Gohan are going to head out. We'll hide our power levels as much as we can so that we don't show up on their scouters, and see if we can't get the fifth ball before these alien guys do!"

"Wait, what about me?" Yamcha asked.

"You should probably stay with the ship, Yamcha," Krillin replied. "We need somebody strong to look after it and Bulma in case any more scouts come along."

Yamcha nodded, while Bulma simply grumbled slightly, content that they had at least left somebody to protect her.

"Just be careful, alright? If anything happens to Gohan, my life is forfeit," Bulma said, her apprehension evident. Krillin chuckled in response.

"Don't worry-I'll look after him. Now, take us up!"

As Krillin and Gohan moved towards the ship's hatch, Bulma sat down at the helm. "Alright, ship-hover 5 meters above this lake!"

After a minute, the ship began to rise, and before they knew it they were out of the water. After opening the hatch for Krillin and Gohan to leap out onto dry land, the ship submerged itself once more. Without a moment to lose, the two began rapidly jumping off of various hilltops en route to their destination.

* * *

Frieza made his way towards the village in his hover vehicle, flanked as usual by his two attendants, Dodoria and Zarbon, along with his clerk Appule. Each of them held two spherical objects under each arm, each one roughly the size of their heads and all of them possessing varying numbers of red stars. Twelve Namekians of varying ages stood across from them, gathered in the area by the soldiers prior to Frieza's arrival. The eldest among them, Moori, was flanked by his two adopted children, Cargo and Dende. One of his soldiers approached the alien lord, hesitating only for a second before making his report.

"Sir! Preliminary inspection confirms all Namekians present and accounted for, sir!"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Brocca."

Brocca nodded his head before returning to the side of the troops under his command.

"Now then," Frieza began, turning his attention to Moori, "I trust you understand what we are here for."

"You seek to make a wish using our Dragon Balls," Moori replied frankly.

"Quite right. Now, if you will please give yours to us, we will gladly leave your people unharmed."

Unbeknownst to the soldiers there, Krillin and Gohan had arrived on top of a mountain overlooking the village, and were observing the exchange with bated breath.

"I'm afraid this will not be possible," Moori replied. "The Dragon Balls are sacred to us. We cannot allow them to be misused, particularly by someone with evil in their heart."

Frieza paused for a moment before sighing deeply.

"Three?" Zarbon asked suddenly.

"Three," Frieza answered.

Moori looked upon them with confusion, but before he could blink an eye, Zarbon had already released the Dragon Balls in his arms and disappeared from sight. Within the next minute, every Namekian around him save for his two children lay dead all throughout the village, while several dwellings were almost completely destroyed. He could only stare in horror as Zarbon picked up the balls and tossed his head, flicking his long ponytail forward. Gohan and Krillin were similarly shocked.

"Krillin! He's going to kill the rest of them if we don't do something!"

"Gohan, I understand how you feel, but we can't risk engaging them! They're just too strong!"

"But-!"

"Stay down, Gohan!" Krillin shot back with authority. Thus, Gohan was left to stew in his own fury as the massacre continued.

"You...you monster!" Moori cried out.

Frieza rolled his eyes. "Don't you mewling peons ever say anything original? No, wait-don't bother answering that. Zarbon?"

"STOP RIGHT THERE, EVILDOERS!"

All parties involved momentarily paused as three new arrivals made their presence known-Namekians dressed similarly to the others in brightly colored robes, yet considerably more bulky, indicating a higher level of combat training.

"Oh,  **goody** ," Frieza remarked dryly.

"Hm. Yup-no higher than one thousand, boss," Dodoria remarked after checking his scouter.

"We sensed your energy approaching this village, after you had slaughtered dozens of our people!" The one in the lead, wearing a white sash, began. "And now-we have come to avenge their deaths!" He and the others entered into combat stances.

"Wait a second-you can sense levels of power?" Frieza asked.

"That's right!" the one in the brown vest replied.

"So if you can sense power levels, including my own and those of my associates, why do you  **possibly** think you can-? Ugh, you know what, forget it. Zarbon? Give the command."

"Dodoria? Give the command."

"Brocca?"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" The sergeant cried out, rushing towards the three Namekians along with the soldiers under his command. No sooner had he taken off across the blue field when he found himself being kicked into a mountain, never to move again. The three Namekians, having unleashed the full extent of their power, proceeded to unleash utter havoc upon the weaker soldiers, effortlessly and ruthlessly dispatching them.

"...Okay, so apparently they're three thousand now," Dodoria remarked.

"Hm. Must be able to adjust their level of power, just like the reports said," Zarbon added.

"You want me to stop them?" Dodoria asked.

"Oh, let them have their hope for a moment, Mister Dodoria. Besides, it's not like we're losing anything particularly valuable," Frieza replied as a soldier, his scouter shattered to pieces, flew over their heads and into the dirt nearby.

" _Only a few of them left..."_ Moori thought to himself as the battle ground to a standstill, only a handful of soldiers surviving the warriors' assault. The Namekian warriors flew to Moori's side, prepared to continue battle.

"Well, I must say, gentlemen! You've certainly proven yourselves masters in the art of pest control."

The tall Namekian scowled. "Do you really have such little regard for your own men?"

"As a matter of fact-"

No sooner had Frieza spoken than Moori suddenly fired out small beams of ki from his fingertips at one of the downed Frieza soldiers. Before they could react, he fired several more blasts at Dodoria and several other soldiers, destroying their scouters as well.

"There! Now you cannot locate our villages."

Frieza stared at the elder Namekian open mouthed and evidently furious, before sighing. "Dodoria?"

Dodoria grinned widely. "Yes, boss?"

"I tire of them."

"Copy that," he said as he set down the Dragon Balls gently onto the ground before taking a step forward. The Namekian warriors scoffed.

"You may be stronger than us, alien, but you'll never defeat all three of-!"

Dodoria suddenly vanished, disappearing completely from the Namekians' sight.

"W-what the?! Where did he-AGH!" The Namekian in the white sash cried out as Dodoria reappeared and shoved his arm through his chest, mortally wounding him. The other two began to take a step backwards while Dodoria chuckled.

"You know, I gotta wonder: what's the point of being able to sense energy-"

The second Namekian, a shorter warrior in a blue garment, leaped forward with a fierce battle cry, before Dodoria fired off a ki blast from his mouth which burnt him to a crisp, leaving his dead body to fall mere feet in front of him, still poised for an attack.

"-if you can't tell when you're  **already dead**?"

The third Namekian in the brown vest shuddered, trembling with fear, before he steeled his resolve.

"FOR MY PEOPLE-!" he began before a more focused ki blast sent him flying into a mountain with a hole in his chest.

Gohan clenched his teeth in anger while Krillin was left frozen to the spot. Dodoria turned back around to look upon the survivors.

"So...the Dragon Ball?"

Moori shuddered slightly before turning to the two children. " _Run,"_ he signaled to them telepathically, before he walked into a nearby dwelling and took the Dragon Ball off of its mantle. "Here," he said, holding it out with his left hand.

"Excellent," Frieza remarked as Appule nervously took the ball from him and headed back to his master. "I'm glad that we understand each other. Now, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you perhaps tell us where the other villages are located?"

Moori grunted slightly. "That wasn't part of our agreement!"

"...I'll take that as a no," Frieza replied before pointing at the fleeing Namekian children.

Moori's eyes widened. "Wait!" he cried out as Frieza fired a finger beam, burning Cargo to a crisp in the blink of an eye. As Dende looked over the corpse of his friend in horror, Moori scowled with rage at the alien tyrant. "You...you-!" He began before Dodoria appeared behind him and swiftly snapped his neck.

"Oh,  **thank you** , Dodoria. I was loathe to hear what unoriginal insult he had for me next," Frieza remarked. "Now then...seems like you missed one."

Dende, who had been frozen to the spot in fear, frantically ran as fast as he could, only to find Dodoria in front of him. Meanwhile, Gohan growled in righteous anger, his sheer rage driving away whatever trepidation he may have suffered from.

"Gohan! Again, I know what you're feeling, but we can't risk it! They'll kill us instantly! Just stay down and-"

" **NO**!"

Gohan took off from the mountaintop, his power skyrocketing under the effects of his emotions as he swiftly kicked Dodoria upside the head, sending him crashing into a dwelling.

"Crap, crap, crap, CRAP!" Krillin cried out as he took off after him.

"What the-?! The hell was-?" Before Dodoria could finish and get back up on his feet, Krillin kicked him down to the ground before racing towards the Namekian child. In an instant, he scooped him up and the pair of warriors took off into the distance. "Grrr...you little-!" he cried out in anger as he swiftly took off after them.

* * *

Having sensed no other major ki signatures in the immediate vicinity, Yamcha saw fit to relax in the ship's kitchen area, while Bulma was waiting for the ship's antiquated communications systems to establish a connection to the receiver at Capsule Corp. In a moment of idleness, Yamcha moved around the fingers of his left hand, followed by his right, and raised his eyebrow. He tried a few more times before coming to a conclusion.

"Hey, babe?" he called out. "I think the inputs on the hand are still messed up."

"Ugh, seriously?" Bulma replied, exasperated. "Why do they keep falling out of sync?" Without another word, she walked over and inspected the hand's circuitry, tinkering with select portions as she attempted to correct the problem.

Yamcha sighed. "I wonder if they have anything like our Senzu beans on this planet?"

"Hm. Well, if they do, with your luck, they  **actually** don't work," Bulma replied with a smirk as Yamcha groaned.

"Come on, seriously? I told her I was sorry!"

"Next time, pay better attention."

Yamcha smirks. "Sorry. I was too busy-"

"'Thinking about you,'" they said in unison before Bulma chuckled. "Don't you have any other lines? You've been using that one since we first started dating!"

Yamcha just chuckled along with her before the pair of them grew silent, and a thought came into his head.

" **Wow** , that was-"

"Twelve years ago, yeah."

"Man...it's been off and on, but..." Yamcha added, trailing off, before taking a deep breath. "...Do we maybe want to talk about that?"

Bulma began to noticeably tense up, narrowly avoiding the mistake of crossing two opposing wires accidentally. Eventually, she steadied herself. "...Look, I-"

The pair were interrupted by a loud beeping noise emanating from the console, to which Bulma hurriedly-and, perhaps, a bit too enthusiastically-ran to answer. Yamcha looked off at her, lost in thought over what she was about to say, before sighing and getting up out of his chair, setting his hand to the side for the time being.

"Bulma?! Is that you? Did you make it there safely?!" her father asked from the small monitor. Bulma chuckled.

"Well, daddy, it's...a bit of a story."

* * *

Already several miles away from the village, Krillin and Gohan rapidly flew through the sky back in the direction of the ship.

"You have  **really** screwed the pooch on this one, Gohan!" Krillin shouted, the Namekian child still in his arms, as the Saiyan hybrid flew ever-so-slightly behind him.

"'Screwed the-?'"

"Never mind! Just, what were you  **thinking**?! This guy's stronger than Vegeta!"

"Don't worry, we should've gotten a significant head start, and he can't sense energy! All we have to do is find somewhere to hide and-!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!" they heard a few hundred meters behind them, followed by the whine of a ki blast being fired in their direction, which they narrowly avoided.

"WELL, LOOK WHO'S WRONG!" Krillin shot back as the three dodged several more ki blasts.

After another minute of dodging, Krillin began to formulate a plan. He tossed Dende to Gohan in mid-air before turning around to face Dodoria..

"SOLAR FLARE!" he cried out after performing the requisite channeling of ki, casting the entire area in a blinding white light. As Dodoria howled in pain and instinctively drew his eyes to his face, Krillin came to a stop and began charging up his signature technique after getting some distance from Dodoria. " _This could be our best chance at getting out of this alive...come on, please be enough!"_

Gohan, meanwhile, flew Dende away from the scene of battle faster than he could on his own. He stopped to look as Krillin began forming a disc of yellow ki above his hand. " _Wait...is that-?!"_

"KIENZAN!" he cried out, throwing the disc at an angle directed at the pink alien's heavyset torso. Dodoria only dimly registered the shout before recognizing the whirring sound of the disc. Panicking, he tried his best to save himself in spite of his lack of clear vision, but quickly discovered that his efforts were for naught as he felt the disc cleave deeply through his torso, from around his midsection to his right shoulder. As his right arm swiftly fell to the ground below, Dodoria could only let out a strangled gasp of hatred before the rest of his body followed suit, falling into unconsciousness and leaking out copious amounts of purple blood.

Krillin took a few shallow breaths before his natural instincts kicked in and he met up with Gohan and Dende before flying back to the ship at full speed.

* * *

When the two returned three hours later, they were greeted with little fanfare, as both Yamcha and Bulma seemed too preoccupied to register their presence until Dende was introduced. A few minutes later, while Bulma was busy preparing a glass of water for the Namekian child, Yamcha staggered slightly as he took in what Krillin had just told him.

"Hang on, you  **killed** one of those guys? A guy even stronger than Vegeta?"

"I mean, he looked like he was just about dead, yeah," Krillin replied, somewhat surprised at how little it concerned him. "But if I hadn't gotten him with that Kienzan, he could've very well killed us."

"...You have  **got** to teach me that technique when you can."

Krillin smirked. "It took a long while to master, but yeah, I hear you."

"Oh! By the way!" Yamcha piped up, suddenly remembering. "We just got a call from Dr. Briefs! Apparently, Goku is on his way here, along with Piccolo!"

Krillin and Gohan beamed at the news that Goku would finally be arriving along with a strong warrior like Piccolo.

"How long until he gets here?" Krillin asked.

"About six days," Yamcha replied, causing Krillin's heart to sink slightly.

"Well...we'll call surviving that long Plan A."

The five of them paused for a moment before conversation resumed.

"So, what now?" Gohan asked.

"Well, without scouters they shouldn't be able to sense us. Meaning as long as they don't think to check down here, we should be safe," Krillin reasoned.

"I meant more along the lines of stopping them."

That question proved harder for Krillin to answer, but as he hesitated, Dende spoke up for the first time since he had asked for refreshments.

"They already have five of the Dragon Balls. That means, in all likelihood...all but one of our villages has met the same fate as my own." As he spoke, his voice wavered, the thought of dozens of his people being senselessly murdered refusing to leave his mind. Tears began welling in his eyes, and he rubbed them away as quickly as he could. Bulma moved to comfort him, sitting next to him and patting his shoulder as she handed over the glass of water.

"Hey, it's okay. We've...faced one or two similar situations ourselves," she said, looking back on the four-was it seriously four?-times her entire species had been faced with the prospect of global tyranny or total extinction. "A long time ago, I was almost put into the same situation you were-having my mother and father taken away from some otherworldly villain."

Dende looked somewhat better, yet also confused. "Y-you misunderstand. Elder Moori is not my parent. And...w-what is a mother?"

Bulma cocked her head. "'What is a...?' You mean your species is all men? No women?"

Dende tilted his own in confusion. "'Men?' 'Women?' I don't understand."

"Huh. So you don't have any concept of sex? Then how do you, uh...you know?" Yamcha asked, somewhat fascinated.

"All members of my species are capable of bearing children, if they so wish, once they reach maturity. I was under the assumption that yours was similar, and yet you, Krillin, and Gohan are obviously different from this 'woman' Bulma in terms of physical anatomy."

Bulma blinked, surprised at the young child's vocabulary. In a way, it almost reminded her of Gohan's. "...How old are you again?"

"Three, although Namekians develop their mental capacities from an early age."

"I see..."

"When I was training with Mr. Piccolo, he told me a bit about his origins," Gohan piped up. "He mentioned being born from an egg produced by King Piccolo just before he died. And he was speaking full sentences moments after he emerged."

Bulma nodded, the scientist in her fascinated while the rest of her was disturbed.

"Wait...you said there were  **six** villages?" Krillin asked. "But there are seven Dragon Balls on the radar."

"One of them resides with our Grand Elder," Dende replied. "He lives in a secluded residence many hours' flight away from this location, looked over constantly by our planet's strongest warrior."

"Huh," Bulma remarked. "What's his name?"

"Guru. One of two survivors of a terrible drought that plagued our planet 500 years ago. While the son of the Grand Elder at the time escaped into the stars, Guru dedicated his life towards rebuilding our race. I am his 108th child."

The Earthlings all looked at each other as Dende mentioned the other survivor, all thinking the same thing, yet choosing not to mention it.

"Is he strong?" Gohan asked.

"Not really, no, but he is the wisest among us, and his experience has caused him to develop several extraordinary abilities."

"What about this greatest warrior?" Yamcha added.

Dende pondered this for a moment. "I do not know his true strength, but he's most certainly stronger than all of you."

"Hm...then it's settled," Krillin said. "It's too dangerous to attempt another direct engagement with Frieza's forces. Me and Gohan will go with you to see this Grand Elder and try and come up with a counter-strategy. Hopefully it'll take them a while to locate your last village. Meanwhile, Yamcha will-"

"Stay with the ship," Yamcha finished, to which Krillin nodded.

"Again, be careful!" Bulma called out as they made their way to the hatch. Krillin could only give a half hearted smile.

"We'll try."

* * *

Frieza stood in front of his personal chamber with a look of irritation across his features.

" _What could be taking Dodoria so long?"_ he mused idly. Efficiency was certainly not something in which the bulbous alien was lacking-if it were, he would not be in such a high position within his army. So why had he not yet returned after three hours?

Suddenly, the door to the chamber hissed open to admit Zarbon.

"My lord, I've just received word from a scout near the Namekian village we attacked earlier today."

"Yes?"

"There was no sign of the Namekian child, or the two aliens who attacked Dodoria, but...we  **did** locate him."

Frieza's eyebrow shot up. "You mean to tell me-?"

"His wounds were severe, and evidently inflicted several hours ago. His right arm severed, severe lacerations along his torso...he had to have been dead for at least two and a half hours."

Frieza sighed deeply. Although remorse was an emotion foreign to him, he did feel some selfish sense of loss-loss of a dependable right hand who carried out his orders without question, and in a manner which personally amused him. Now he was dead, killed by a Namekian they hadn't yet slaughtered or a pair of random aliens on a largely insignificant planet. To lose such a trusted adviser in such a way...there was only one recourse.

"...Zarbon, I want you to personally continue the search for the Dragon Balls. Comb the planet, no matter how long it takes. Find whoever did this, and bring me their  **skull**!"

Zarbon nodded. "Understood, Lord Frieza," he said as he exited the room, leaving Frieza to contemplate a choice, before deciding against it.

" _No...Zarbon alone should be able to handle this. His power is far greater than Dodoria's, greater than almost anyone else in the galaxy is aware of. He'll get the job done...or he'll have to answer to_ me _."_

* * *

Several hours after Krillin and Gohan had departed, the pair of them along with Dende continued to fly as fast as they could manage in the direction which Dende had indicated that the Grand Elder could be found. Unaccustomed to a planet with no true cycle of day and night, the human and hybrid found themselves fatigued as their bodies failed to adjust to the planet's cycle, and they were both forced to acknowledge that they surely must stop soon. So focused and fatigued were they, however, that neither of them noticed a small streak in the sky overhead, soaring along the planet's atmosphere before landing thousands of miles away.

Minutes after the object crashed, leaving a crater in the otherwise tranquil landscape, a hatch slowly hissed open before landing on the ground with a thud. Still blinking his eyes, a familiar figure slowly made his way out of the pod and pushed himself to his feet. He activated the instrument on his right eye as he began to search for his targets.

"Interesting...not as many soldiers as I was expecting...and no sign of Dodoria..."

Truth be told, he wasn't sure what else on this planet other than Dodoria's own allies and he himself could possibly kill him, but he'd find that answer soon enough. For now, however, he had his sights set on one particular signature.

"There you are..." Vegeta muttered with a sinister smirk, before taking off in his direction as fast as he could manage.

* * *

 

Hey, all! Changing things up a bit by posting the end note within the chapter itself-for some reason, the editor isn't recognizing my 4800-something character end note as being less than 5,000 characters, so that's annoying. Anyway!

Another chapter done!

Not too much to say for this one as far as development goes other than that I had to look at a copy of some Dragon Ball volumes to get most of the details for this section of the arc right. Also, Krillin killing Dodoria was kinda a spur of the moment thing, but like, really, if you think about it, it makes sense that he'd be able to do that. Don't worry, though-this isn't going to become a trend.

Although...keeping the fight with Second Form Frieza in mind, "What if Krillin Killed Frieza?" sounds like a pretty interesting What If story idea, actually. Might play with that at some point.

Also, just so y'all know, we're going to have a bit of a detour in Chapter 14 in order to focus on just what Goku and Piccolo are doing on Earth leading up to current events, so stay tuned for that.

Finally, some reviews from FF.net:

Anonymous says:

"Wait what. Piccolo post fusion only 20K? I thought he would be way more powerful considering guru said that he would be a super namekian if fused so it seems odd that he is barely on the level Goku would be post zenkai"

Yeah, I'll be honest, I tossed around between 20k and 30k for him. I think either makes sense, though, and I'll explain my reasons.

So in canon, Guru says that he'd become a Super Namekian after peering into Krillin's memories, which one can assume would include Piccolo's death at the hands of Nappa. This knowledge of Krillin's memories would allow him to gauge Nappa's capabilities at the time, as well as Vegeta's. So essentially, Guru is simply saying that if Piccolo and Kami became one or had remained so, they wouldn't have died during the attack of those particular Saiyans. Plus, before Goku, nobody knew exactly how powerful the Super Saiyan state was, just that it was a state beyond the capabilities of any known Saiyan, and Guru has no idea what kind of training the Nameless Namekian would have done in his exile because he didn't know where he'd gone. So, Guru could've just been wildly overestimating how strong the Nameless Namekian had gotten during his exile.

Further, Nail says that if Kami and Piccolo merged as Piccolo was then, he'd be stronger than Frieza, but his understanding of his capabilities isn't perfect. Also, Piccolo had gotten stronger to an unspecified degree after his time with King Kai, whereas here he's still more or less at the level he was during the Saiyan saga. So, it's understandable that the resulting fusion would be far weaker than something which could curb-stomp 1st Form Frieza.

Finally, the general trend of Namekian fusion seems to be that the user gets a big boost to start, followed by greater potential for improvement-thereby being able to get far stronger by the same training methods. Piccolo's going to undergo a lot of intense training during this arc, so, this 20,000 isn't quite representative of how strong he could get in the future. Just wait and see.

Luke says:

"Oh boy, Vegeta is going to be Ginyu Force level strength when he gets to Namek...it'll be interesting how this plays out!"

Haha, not quite. The Zenkai he got from his fight with Aka is comparable to the one he got from his beat-down from Zarbon in canon. So, he's not going to be too much more powerful than he was then: from about 30,000 to 32,000.

Roshi Rage says:

"Here's the thing... you're applying real world logic to Roshi's power. That's where you messed up, in my opinion.<br />

...This is a guy who was able to keep up with Goku in his base form LONG after he'd managed to become a Super Saiyan, which would make him capable of matching someone with power in the millions... by training BY HIMSELF.

A few good points, but allow me to explain my reasoning.

Yeah, logic and Dragon Ball don't exactly go hand in hand, I grant you, but the canon generally supports Roshi being below Tien and Krillin in power when all else is equal. Roshi is only able to beat up Tien in Super when under the influence of that magic charm, implying that he's weaker otherwise. And as for Krillin, he pushed Goku into Super Saiyan and a very small portion of Super Saiyan Blue's power during their sparring match. Keep in mind that this is the same character who's barely trained since the Cell Saga.

So, in summary, Roshi should definitely be weaker than Krillin and Tien under the same training regimen.

But don't worry-what he showed off during the Saiyan Saga is hardly going to be the peak of his power in this story. You'll see where he ended up in the next few chapters.

Anyway, power levels:

Sui, Banan, other Frieza soldiers: No greater than 1,500

Brocca: 2,000

Appule: 1,800

Dodoria: 22,000

Zarbon: 23,000(normal form)

1st Form Frieza: 530,000

Vegeta: 32,000

Nail: 42,000

Moori: 1,000

Gohan(post-Saiyan Saga zenkai which I forgot about): 1,500

Gohan(rage boosted): 3,500

With all that said, hope you all enjoyed, and let me know what you think in the comments below.


	15. The Resistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from our heroes' struggles on Namek, the Senzu beans are finally ready for Goku and company. Now back to full strength, it'll be up to Goku and Piccolo to travel to Namek and save the day. But can they become strong enough to defeat this intergalactic menace once and for all? Only time will tell...

Many Hours Earlier

"Are they finished? Are they here? Do you have them?!"

Chi Chi grasped Yajirobe's shoulders with as much force as she could possibly muster, which, unfortunately for Yajirobe, was greater than he could tolerate.

"Yes, yes! They're done! Now, will you please let go?!" he cried out in panic. Chi Chi hurriedly apologized and released him, allowing him to promptly walk towards Goku's hospital room in a huff. No sooner had he walked ten steps down the hall than he was stopped by Good Launch.

"Mr. Yajirobe, do you-?"

"YES! One guy at a time- **jeez**!"

He brushed past her angrily and stomped into the room tailed by the two women, as Oolong and Puar hovered near Goku's bed. Goku's eyes brightened as he gazed upon the samurai.

"Yajirobe! Oh, please tell me you have the-!"

His statement was cut short as he found himself having to catch one of the Senzu beans with his mouth after Yajirobe tossed it at him in a fit of rage. After successfully swallowing it, he let himself be still for a moment as everyone else waited in anticipation. Goku could feel the bean's healing properties at work in every region of his body-bones being grown back and replaced in their proper places, ligaments being restored, tendons being repaired-until finally he braced his newly rejuvenated muscles and leaped out of his hospital bed, still covered in casts and bandages as he landed. With a quick kiai, these were quickly torn off, and he was left in only his hospital robe, which he swiftly exchanged for his Turtle School blue and orange gi.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" he cried out excitedly as he aimed a handful of punches and kicks at the air in his immediate vicinity.

Yajirobe simply sighed, irritated, before pulling out an ancient-looking vial containing a lime green liquid. He handed it to Launch.

"Pour this into one of those tubes sticking into Tien-Korin didn't think it'd be safe to try and get him to swallow it."

Launch glanced at the vial before nodding somewhat timidly and leaving the room. Yajirobe then walked over to Goku, still exercising, before holding out the pouch containing the remaining beans. Goku took notice and stopped immediately, taking the pouch and hooking it to his gi at his right hip.

"Thanks, Yajirobe! I'm sure that these will come in handy!"

"Whatever. Oh, one other thing!" Yajirobe remarked just as he too was about to leave, turning towards Goku once more. "There's somebody who wanted to speak with you as soon as you got better. He'll be waiting for you up on the Lookout."

Goku paused before nodding, having an idea of who it was. "Gotcha."

"Just make sure that it doesn't take too long," Chi Chi added, her concern evident. "Our son's in danger, not to mention everyone else!"

"Don't worry, Chi Chi. I'll make sure he stays safe," Goku replied with his characteristic optimism.

Chi Chi merely huffed. "You better! If I see even the slightest hint that our boy's been hurt out there, you will be in for a  **world** of pain!"

Goku chuckled as he stepped out towards the recently repaired window, opening it easily. "See you all soon, everyone!" he called out as he jumped out and landed on his old friend the Nimbus cloud, to take him directly to the Lookout.

Chi Chi sighed. "That boy and his father are going to be the death of me," she lamented before heading out of the hospital room along with the others, while the doctors on hand were left processing what the hell just happened.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived just outside of Tien's room. Upon hearing the sounds of an intense struggle, they hurried into the room to find Bad Launch lifting up the doctor on hand by the scruff of his coat, angrily demanding that she do what she said.

"Miss, listen, I understand your frustrations, but we simply can't introduce new substances into the patient's bloodstream without proper clearance!"

"You're a doctor! I have a medicine that will fix him! What's the difficulty here?!"

Chi Chi decided to intervene before things got out of hand. "Launch, will you  **please** put the doctor down?" she said as sternly, yet politely as she could manage. Launch huffed angrily before obliging, roughly releasing the woman from her grasp. She quickly took a few steps backwards from the blonde woman, her fear evident, as Chi Chi attempted to resolve the situation. "We are prepared to follow whatever protocols your office deems necessary, if that is your wish."

The doctor took a deep breath before responding. "Miss, these kind of things take an extremely long time to sort out. There are specialists who must be contacted, clinical trials that must be done, inspections that must be completed. This isn't something we can have straightened out in a day, particularly not with such abrasive treatment of our staff-!"

"Done."

The group turned around to see Oolong, evidently having returned to his original form, standing right by Tien's bedside. He had already taken the vial from Launch's back pocket and placed it into one of Tien's IV drips, which was currently distributing the senzu solution throughout his bloodstream, while the three women were arguing. As soon as the doctor registered the pig's presence, she raced to remove the drip from Tien's arm, but was stopped in her tracks when Chi Chi grabbed her by the shoulder, keeping her rooted in place with little effort. Launch, meanwhile, hurried to Tien's bedside, hoping against hope that the solution worked.

"Are you people insane?! You could be placing the patient's life in jeopardy! You-!" the doctor attempted to get out in protest, yet took pause when Tien's remaining injuries began to heal themselves right before her eyes, his blood vessels returning to their proper state and his muscles and ligaments growing back. The doctor could only stare open-mouthed at the monitors placed near his bed, indicating that his previously faint vital signs were slowly returning to normal levels. After another minute of recovery, the three-eyed warrior finally managed to open his eyes, his vision blurred as he took in everything around him.

"Launch...?" he muttered weakly. Launch, tears threatening to cloud her vision, could only nod wordlessly as a wobbly smile played across her features. "Where...?"

"Hospital. You should probably just take it easy for a while, buddy," Oolong interrupted. Tien chose not to spend the energy trying to formulate a response, instead falling back into his pillow.

The doctor, meanwhile, continued to stare at the patient, who not minutes before had been regarded as a lost cause. Chi Chi gently steered her towards the door as Oolong and Puar followed suit.

"Why don't we give the two of them some alone time, hm?"

The doctor could only mutter something barely intelligible in response as Oolong closed the door behind them.

* * *

"You're later than I would've expected."

Piccolo stood over the edge of the Lookout, his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he ended his period of meditation. Goku took a step forward after he'd jumped off of his faithful cloud, before it too flew off to wherever it went when it wasn't needed.

"Yeah, well, figured it'd be better to ride Kintoun than burn any energy flying here," Goku said with a hand around the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly.

Piccolo nodded. "Fair enough."

Goku cocked his head. "...Huh. Is it just me, or have you mellowed out a bit?" When Piccolo showed the slightest traces of a smirk as he chuckled in response, Goku added, worried, "...Okay, now I  **know** something's up."

Piccolo sighed in annoyance. "In the last ten days, I've found myself feeling...centered. Secure. I suppose it's made me appreciate a few things which I once found unbearably annoying. Either that, or my fusion with Kami has influenced my core personality far more than I realized."

Understanding dawned on Goku's face. "Oh yeah! He came by to...talk about that..." he began before cutting himself off with a twinge of melancholy.

Piccolo cocked an eyebrow at the sudden silence before he too understood. Kami sighed deeply in his mind before he responded. "Ah. It's understandable that you would still grieve even now."

"Yeah...I mean, I got most of that out when he first told me he was dying, but...I guess hearing that  **that day**  was the day, in a sense, it just felt like...that was it, you know?"

Piccolo nodded. "Well...if it's any consolation, he seemed to regard you quite highly."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just...I dunno," Goku said, thinking for a moment before deciding to return to a familiar subject. "I gotta say, though, that ki I felt while I was recovering was amazing! Had to have been even tougher than Vegeta!"

"Considerably," Piccolo replied, his satisfaction evident, before continuing. "I spoke with Bulma's father the day after I fused, and he informed me of the likely timetable for completion of his ship. Since then, I've been training up here on my own. It has been...surprisingly instructive."

"Really?"

"Yes. The air is almost as frigid as some of the deserts can get at night, and the reduced concentration of it has been a welcome change of pace as far as growing stronger is concerned. However, I still feel like I am barely even close to reaching the full potential of this power."

"So, you're serious about going?" Goku asked, to which Piccolo nodded. "Great! A sparring partner would help me out a lot!" However, his face fell. "Aw, but you haven't trained under ten times Earth gravity before. It'd take a while before you could adjust to gravity training, and we'd only have so much time."

It was at this point that Mr. Popo tapped Goku's shoulder from behind, causing both of them to turn to him. "If you are willing, Son Goku...I believe I know of a solution."

After nodding his head in affirmation, Goku was led by Mr. Popo alongside Piccolo down the halls of the Lookout's central chamber, before finally coming to a stop before a large oaken door. Goku and Piccolo's eyes both widened in recognition.

" _Ah, yes, that would work, wouldn't it?"_ Kami remarked.

"Wait...so this is-?" Piccolo began.

"Indeed. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber, a gateway between our dimension and a parallel realm of Kami's own creation. Within its training area, the gravity is ten times that of Earth, and time moves approximately 365.24 times faster than in this dimension." As he recognized the look of Goku spacing out somewhat from the first time he'd brought the Saiyan to the chamber, Mr. Popo sighed and said, "One day out here, one year in there." Goku's expression cleared up as he nodded in understanding.

"Wait a second," Goku said as his head cleared. "Are you sure about this? I thought Kami said that you could only enter it twice in one lifetime?"

"True," Mr. Popo replied. "But, then again..." he winked slightly as a slight smile came to his lips, "You haven't lived just  **one** lifetime, have you?"

Goku smirked. "No, I guess not."

"If we're going to use it, we shouldn't spend too much time. Your allies appear to be in grave peril."

Goku nodded, thinking. "It took me about a month to master walking around on King Kai's planet enough to catch Bubbles...but then again, you're a lot stronger than I was, so it shouldn't take you as long to adjust. Call it an hour? About two weeks inside?"

Piccolo considered this before nodding. "Very well. Open the door."

Mr. Popo complied, holding the door open as the two stepped forth into the chamber, before allowing it to slam shut and seal them in with a resounding clang.

* * *

"...So that's basically what you missed."

Good Launch, who had reverted between her forms several times over the last hour, concluded her retelling of everything which had occurred while Tien was unconscious. Still somewhat out of it, Tien eventually took a deep breath as he did his best to process everything.

"...I have a few questions."

"Sensible," Launch replied.

"So, Piccolo fought a climactic battle against Vegeta."

"Yup."

"Only to somehow become possessed by the consciousness of his dead father, which was still in his head after almost a decade."

"Mhm."

"So King Piccolo then tried to murder Goku."

"Yup."

"Only to be defeated by...Krillin."

"That's what I heard."

Tien chuckled. "I'll have to congratulate him when he gets back," he said idly before continuing. "So now King Piccolo isn't in his head anymore."

"According to Kami, yeah."

"Who was also dying."

"Yup."

"And so, Kami offered to re-join with Piccolo?"

"Mhm."

"Which, if the astounding ki signature I felt from the Lookout upon regaining consciousness is any indication...he did."

Launch chuckled. "I think he knew you and Goku would be up and wanted to show off."

Tien chuckled. "Well, Kami better have been right about there being no evil in his heart, or we're probably all dead."

"I don't know. I talked to him about you guys the night of the invasion. He seemed genuinely concerned."

Tien scoffed. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"I mean, he  **is** going with Goku to save our friends."

"...True. And I'm still wishing I didn't have to sit in this hospital bed for another day to recover."

Launch chuckled, but Tien could see that her good humor didn't quite reach her eyes. He reached over slightly so that his hand rested in hers, gripping it softly as he smiled.

"But, with you here," he continued, "It's not so bad."

Launch began to blush extensively, causing Tien to chuckle slightly in spite of his own face becoming somewhat red. Eventually, she managed to calm down enough to smile herself.

"Glad to hear it," she said before leaning down and planting a kiss on his forehead. As Tien was left processing this, she added, "I'll be at that fast food place down the block. It's gotta have better food than here."

Tien wasn't quite sure what he mumbled in response, only that it seemed to amuse her as she walked out of the room, leaving him to chuckle at his own apparent foolishness as he gazed up at the ceiling.

* * *

As Mr. Popo glanced at the clock above the time chamber's door, he began to grow concerned.

" _It's been ten minutes, and they haven't emerged yet. What could have possibly happened to-?"_

The door opened in its usual dramatic fashion as Goku and Piccolo emerged from the chamber, neither of their clothes in disrepair to Mr. Popo's confusion, but a handful of light bruises on both of their bodies evidence of what they underwent.

"So, I trust that your time there was instructive?" Mr. Popo asked, already sensing how much their power had grown in the past hour.

"Yup!" "Extremely" " _Quite so,"_ the two warriors and Kami replied, their satisfaction evident. "Should be all ready to head out now!" Goku added.

"If you don't mind my asking, why the extra ten minutes?"

Goku chuckled. "Well, Piccolo suggested that I spend some time training on my own with the Kaio-ken while he got the hang of the gravity, and while I was doing that, I kept going a bit...overboard. That and the sprained ankle made me have to take a break to recover my energy before we got out."

Mr. Popo nodded. "I see. Well, I trust you'll wish to depart immediately for Capsule Corporation?"

"Yup!"

"Splendid," Mr. Popo replied as he let out a loud whistle. On command, a flying carpet flew down the hall as he leapt into the air, allowing him to land upon the carpet with ease. "Hop on," he commanded, to which the two warriors complied, Piccolo now being familiar with the magic carpet. Without another word, they teleported away from the Lookout, rematerializing directly in front of Dr. Briefs as he made one last inspection of the craft from within.

"HOLY-!" he cried out in surprise as he fell over backwards at the sight of the three of them.

"Heya, Doc!" Goku said cheerfully. Piccolo simply grunted in acknowledgment of his existence.

"Ah, right, you two..." he muttered as he got back up to his feet. "Don't go scaring me like that, will you?"

"Sorry," Goku replied. "So, is it ready?"

"Well, after Bulma explained the situation to me, I've had everyone burning the midnight oil to get this ship ready to fly."

"But...it's not midnight, though...?" Goku said, confused, causing both Mr. Popo and Dr. Briefs to blink a couple times.

Piccolo simply scowled as Kami groaned in annoyance in his head.

"A-anyway, I implemented a sophisticated autopilot based upon what I could gather of the Namekian ship's design. While Bulma was talking with your wife, Goku, she sent over Namek's coordinates. So, this ship should get you there in six days. Just push that big button over there," he said as he pointed it out.

"Awesome!"

"And the gravity generator?" Piccolo added.

"Should give you up to one hundred times Earth's gravity. Although...I would advise you both to pace yourselves."

"Naturally," Piccolo replied. "Now exit the vehicle."

"U-um, we still need to run a few tests before we can clear it for launch."

"There's no time for that. Exit immediately."

"I-I really don't think-" Dr. Briefs began before Piccolo glared into his eyes. "-that I should be taking up any more of your time good luck!"

As he hurried out of the ship along with Mr. Popo, Goku let his hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Hey. Don't worry, Doc. We'll bring her back," he said, smiling as his eyes held a quiet look of determination. "I promise."

Dr. Briefs was stunned for a second before nodding, and allowing the ship's hatch to close behind him.

" _That was a bit rude,"_ Kami chided him.

" _Tch. Whatever."_

Meanwhile, Piccolo chuckled.

"You always were more of the heroic sort, huh?"

Goku chuckled in turn. "Heroic? Nah. I don't really consider myself much of a hero. But...when you see someone hurting, when someone's been hurt, you just...gotta do what you can to help them out, you know? That's how I see it."

As Goku moved over to the button Dr. Briefs had pointed out, Piccolo smirked.

" _You know...I think I'm beginning to understand why my father took such a distaste to you, Son Goku_ ," he thought as he felt the roar of the ship taking off and breaching the atmosphere, his earlier gravity training leaving him prepared for the shock as the ship flew en route to Namek.

* * *

 

Yeah, from now on, I think I'll just integrate chapter notes into the main chapter text box, so I can make them as long as I want without having to trim stuff down like last time. Just letting y'all know that going forward.

Anyway, I went back and forth on what to do with this chapter. When I finally worked out the word count, I realized it was longer than any previous chapter by a fairly wide margin. It was comprised of two sections: this time with Goku and Piccolo on Earth, and a continuation of the events on Namek. I realized that that first section alone was large enough to make into a chapter of its own, and that combined with an upcoming project, and how I was only one chapter ahead of the schedule, motivated me to split the two. So, we've got the interlude on Earth becoming chapter 14, and the Namek scenes chapter 15. Apologies for making you all wait to get back to the action, but I figured it was the best solution available to allow me time to develop the other story, in addition to giving some wiggle room for when life gets more in my way going forward.

Also, you may have noticed the slight creative liberty I've decided to take regarding the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I figured the phrasing of that one restriction-only entering twice in one lifetime-left a little room for interpretation, particularly with the Dragon Balls factored in. So, yeah, basically, if you're resurrected, this gives you two new entrances into the chamber, and a fresh two year maximum time. Figured it'd help minimize the amount of times anyone would need to blow it up just to use it more, and also allow for a few new possibilities.

With all that said, time for some responses from Fanfic.net!

 

Zeltch(assuming you pronounce that like "belch," but with a Z) says:

"Loving the fic so far, it's a breath of fresh air in a fandom that is obsessed with following the same stations of canon over and over again. The new material like Piccolo confronting his dad and the subsequent fusion with Kami is a great example of that. There are a couple of things that stood out negatively though. Sometimes your dialogue is too formal and long-winded; people just don't talk like that. The TFS homages can be a little jarring too and break the immersion, like you're sticking two incompatible stories together. Anyway, this fic keeps surprising me in good ways, so please keep up the good work!"

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you appreciate the turns the story's taken thus far-definitely parallel to canon in a lot of respects, but still able to do its own thing and provide me, the author, with some creative liberties as a result of what was honestly a pretty minor alteration.

And, yeah, I've definitely been feeling that with the TFS lines, and I'll try to cut back on that, but with some scenes, it almost feels more wrong to *not* pay homage, if that makes any sense. Idk, definitely going to try and cut back on that in the future. As for the dialogue, I can understand where you're coming from on that, although I feel like it generally stays true to the dialogue of the manga and the personalities of the various characters. It explains what needs to be explained while allowing for some comedic jabs and dramatic flair where appropriate.

In any event, I appreciate that you took the time to leave such detailed feedback, and shall endeavor to keep your thoughts in mind going forward.

BarryManHigh says:

"I am going to assume Goku will be stronger in this story when he arrives on Namek because Dragon Ball has regularly shown that solo training is less effective than training with a partner."

Ohoho yeah. Wait and see on that-it'll be lit.

Anonymous says:

"Well nice chapter. Though dodoria dying was a surprise. What I didn't understand was that how Gohan even rage boosted at 3500 would even budge dodoria even if dodoria isn't paying attention to him. I mean it's like a 10 year old punching a 25 year old healthy and muscled guy which doesn't make sense to hurt him. Next being that Gohan seems much weaker. Saiyan saga Gohan should be about 2-3K I guess and the mental training shit that they did on spaceship should probably also have enhanced their power slightly. Wonder what Vegeta's doing"

Yeah, it surprised me too, lol-I hadn't been planning on it at first, but now I realized it actually changes  **a lot**  of stuff with this arc to have him die early, combined with Vegeta arriving late. Also, Krillin knocks him down in both this and the manga, and he's not much stronger here than in the Saiyan Saga, so there's definitely justification in canon for Gohan being able to do that if he's off guard and pissed enough. And I envisioned the mental training as more of a brushing up on technique and stuff, rather than any real power boost. Also, you'll see what Vegeta's doing next chapter.

Cerric says:

"Am I correct in assuming that the lines involving a single "-" are "-" hyphens converted from google docs? If so, I feel your pain. Other than that, I enjoyed Krillin actually fucking doing something with the Kienzan for a change. Keep on!"

I'm not quite sure what you mean? Perhaps you could elaborate in a pm. Also, yeah, one of my main things with this fic is making sure the humans stay relevant whenever they can. Obviously nobody's going to be unlocking some kind of Super Human form or something, but they definitely have unique talents that I hope to make good use of in the future.

(Side note, guys: his fic, Strength of Many, is really good! Featuring bloodthirsty Saiyan Kakarot and main protagonist Krillin, alongside the rest of the Dragon Ball gang. Good stuff-give it a read!)

Jepsie says:

"Despite following the regular story beats from the manga for now (although Dodoria died an early death), I really enjoyed this chapter of yours. It was really... chill, you know? Like, it didn't try to do anything more than it should've done."

Thanks! And yeah, this one was fairly by the book, but we're going to be seeing some pretty major changes coming up, don't you worry.

"I was hoping that Tien would surprise us and join them on their quest. That said, I understand that you'll want Tien to either recover on his own (barely) or get help somehow, perhaps from the Namekien Dragon Balls. Regardless, I hope that Tien becomes even stronger (now that he'll basically be skipping out on his training with King Kai)."

Yeah, sorry, Tien's going to be sitting this one out. He's just not tough enough to make it long going up against some of the foes we'll see later in this saga. But don't worry! He's hardly going to be forgotten in the coming arcs. I've got a lot of cool developments for him bouncing around in my brain. Stay tuned!

"That's right: if Roshi does train in King Kai's planet, he and his experience in training by his own will make him much stronger than, I think, Goku once he reached the Saiyans. And to continue on the topic of Roshi's time being a dead person, I'd suggest bringing Grandpa Gohan back. No, it doesn't have to be for an extended period of time, but maybe as a cameo appearance. Like, maybe Roshi and Grandpa Gohan will both talk about Goku and how they taught the boy. It would be a nice scene. With that said, I hope that Master Roshi will learn some new tricks in his time as a dead man. And who knows? Maybe he'll be at places besides King Kai's planet. Maybe meet Bardock and Gine."

Yeah, I'd say that's fair, although fair warning, he's not going to get up to "Deck Recoome in the face" levels like Yamcha did in the anime-at least, not without a little help. And I have given that some thought, but I still haven't decided. Wait and see on that.

Anywho, power levels:

Piccolo(pre-Time Chamber): 20,500

Goku(post-Time Chamber): 20,000; Kaio-ken x 5: 100,000. Mostly from sparring with Piccolo as well as getting himself used to ten times gravity on Earth, and some minor zenkai.

Piccolo(post-Time Chamber): 50,000. Combo of ten times gravity, sparring with Goku in Kaio-ken, and the improved potential of his fused form.

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic day, and take care!


	16. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on Namek, the situation is all the more complicated as Vegeta comes into the picture. Frieza still holds five of the Namekian Dragon Balls, but there are still two yet unaccounted for. Can our heroes secure these last two balls away from either Frieza or Vegeta's grasp? Will they ever be able to obtain the other five for themselves? And just what role are the mysterious Lord Guru and Nail fated to play in this drama? Find out next time in Hermit!

Zarbon flew silently across a distant field, conducting a planet-wide search for the individuals responsible for Dodoria's death. At first, he hadn't been quite sure where to start, sending Appule and some of his men to scour the planet for any village which may contain a Dragon Ball. However, once one of his men noticed how two scouters had stopped transmitting some time before the rest had been destroyed, and pinpointed their coordinates, Zarbon found the lead he'd been looking for. Thus, he flew towards that location at top speed, yet didn't see much of anything which would indicate the presence of another being within the vicinity.

Unbeknownst to him, however, Vegeta was hot on his trail, his own power allowing him to easily catch up to the turquoise alien. Without a scouter of his own, his first indication of the approaching prince came only when said prince kicked him in the side and into a nearby mountain.

"HA! Even I didn't think I'd get the drop on you that easily!" Vegeta called out, laughing heartily.

Zarbon lifted himself up out of the rubble and dusted himself off. "That irritating laugh, that ridiculous haircut, that complete lack of manners..." he mused out loud. "So. The 'Prince of All Saiyans' has graced us with his presence, from beyond the grave."

"That's right," Vegeta said as he watched Zarbon float up into the air to meet him.

"Well, dear prince, I am not an unreasonable person. So, I'll propose a trade: I'll forget how you so rudely interrupted my investigation, and the matter of your not being dead, and keep Frieza off of your scent, if you give me that scouter."

"Ah. So you've lost all of yours?" Vegeta mocked. "The locals giving you a bit of trouble, then?"

"My patience is not to be toyed with, Vegeta. The  **scouter** ," Zarbon replied, holding out his hand.

"Right, right. Well, if you want it so badly, then..." Vegeta began as he took off the instrument, before shattering it to pieces in his clenched fist. "I shouldn't give it to you."

"You fool! You've only hindered your own search for the Dragon Balls!"

"Not quite. You see, while I was recovering from the injuries I sustained on Earth, my physiology adapted towards a new capacity," Vegeta smirked. "I can now  **sense** energy."

Zarbon's eyes widened slightly. "That's...not possible. Saiyans have never naturally exhibited that capacity."

"And what's more, I've already disposed of the two-bit soldiers you sent to finish me off!"

"Is that so?" Zarbon asked, some of his calm returning. "Interesting-I was certain that Aka should've crushed you easily."

"Yes, well, unfortunately for you, my Saiyan biology had something to say about that."

"The Zenkai?" Zarbon asked, a faint piece of trivia returning to him. "Curious-it had never been reported to give such a massive boost all at once before. You're just full of surprises, aren't you? You must have been nearly obliterated by the inhabitants of that 'Earth,'" Zarbon said with a cocky laugh. "If so, its value as an acquisition just went up tenfold."

Vegeta scoffed. "Those fools on Earth...Cui, Aka... **you**...are all nothing compared to the power that I possess now."

"Oh, here we go..."

"I have surpassed all known levels of power that the Saiyan race has boasted! That of my father, the warrior Bardock, and  **now**...his son, Kakarot," Vegeta finished, his satisfaction evident. Zarbon, however, tilted his head in confusion.

"Kakarot? I've never heard of a Kakarot."

"Oh, don't trouble yourself, Zarbon. You won't live long enough to ponder it over, anyway. Your battle power is less than Aka's, and as I am now, I would easily crush him under my heel."

To his surprise, Zarbon chuckled. "We'll see about that," he said as his whole body tensed up. "You should be honored-other than Lord Frieza, nobody in the galaxy knows of my race's particular transformation."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, confused yet fascinated.

"We don't like to use it if we don't have to. It's rather...hideous. But in it, our true power is unleashed. And as the prince of my world, I am the strongest of my kind. Now, behold, monkey-the power of my race!"

With that, his body seemed to balloon in size, his arms, legs, and torso all expanding and becoming significantly more muscular. Scales began to make themselves known across his body, and his face took on a far more beast-like appearance, resembling the maw of a crocodile, as he grinned evilly at the Saiyan prince.

* * *

Several minutes before, Yamcha had been napping somewhat fitfully in the sleeping quarters he shared with Krillin and Gohan, while Bulma remained in her own room. His somewhat terse conversation with Bulma still on his mind, it only took the slightest fluctuation in ki to rouse him.

"What the-?! ...No. No! Don't tell me-!"

He hastily got up out of bed and attached his hand, frantically stretching out his senses to the point where he could pinpoint the prince's location. He eventually located him alongside several smaller signatures and another familiar signature which, at this point, was less powerful than Vegeta's.

"Oh, hell!" he cried out as he raced to Bulma's room and hurriedly knocked on the door. "Bulma! One of Frieza's soldier guys, Zarbon, is headed right this way, and Vegeta's behind him!"

Bulma, who had only drowsily responded to the knock, woke up with a jolt. "Vegeta?! Here?!"

"Yeah!" Yamcha replied worriedly. "And what's more, I think that some of Frieza's soldiers are close to locating another Dragon Ball! I felt some smaller powers flying near a cluster of Namekians!"

Bulma hastily pulled on a pair of pants and hurried out the door. "What are we going to do?! Krillin and Gohan are halfway across the planet, and even all three of you would only barely be able to handle either of them!"

Yamcha nodded grimly, coming up with a plan. "If Vegeta's arrived here, it's likely that he got himself a scouter. So while Zarbon won't be able to track us by my energy, Vegeta very well could."

"W-what about me?" Bulma asked worriedly.

Yamcha was silent for a second before responding. "Well, Vegeta wasn't exactly friendly to this Frieza character, which means that he's probably going to be caught up fighting Zarbon. From the looks of things...he won't hold him for long. And it's more likely that he'd notice my reading than yours."

Bulma's eyes widened as she realized what he was proposing. "W-wait a second, you can't just leave me here!"

"I don't like it either, babe, but you said it yourself: I can't do squat against either of these guys if they find us. But if  **I'm** not here, the odds of them finding  **you** are a lot lower. Besides, I should be able to take those soldiers looking for the Dragon Ball. I'll be a lot more useful that way."

Bulma considered the logic of Yamcha's plan, but still found herself worrying. Yamcha noticed this and attempted to calm her down with his typical winning smile.

"Don't worry-I should be able to avoid those guys without much trouble."

Bulma sighed. "I'm still not even sure whether or not you're in the proper shape to fight."

"Well, only one way to find out, huh?" Yamcha replied. "Now...wait a second!" he cried out as he felt a major spike in the ki signatures.

"What? What is it?!"

"They're fighting, about 12 miles away! And Zarbon's gotten a lot stronger! Now's our chance!"

Bulma recognized this and yelled at the ship to hover above the lake once more as Yamcha raced towards the hatch. After opening the hatch, however, Bulma took pause and began to turn around.

"Listen, Yamcha, if we don't make it out of this, I just want to tell you-and, he's gone," she finished as the hatch automatically closed behind him. Bulma signed in annoyance as she commanded the ship to sink back down into the lake.

" _I'm seriously going to have to make the time to talk to him_ ," she thought to herself in irritation.

* * *

The two warriors seemed evenly matched at first, each one finding their blows blocked by the other even as Vegeta unleashed the full extent of his power, and Zarbon managing to get a few good hits in. However, to Zarbon's annoyance, while the prince merely matched him in terms of strength, he vastly exceeded his speed. Unable to hit him even with a flurry of ki blasts, Zarbon was left panting heavily, the bruises of some of Vegeta's strikes leaving him bleeding slightly from his mouth.

"Grrr...you cannot hope to match me, you disgusting monkey!" he cried out in anger.

"Then what do you call the last five minutes?" Vegeta replied snarkily.

"RRRAAGH!" he cried out as he fired a powerful ki blast, which Vegeta dodged with only slight exertion.

"It's just as I thought. You may be as strong as me, but I am far faster! And with the techniques that I am aware of, even that will prove worthless in the face of my awesome power-!" He paused as he felt a slight sensation in his head, which he had identified as the tell of a new ki signature. From his limited understanding, he could tell that the signature was fairly strong, and not one he had detected initially. Before Vegeta could think it over any further, Zarbon took advantage of the distraction and punched him in the gut. Winded and surprised, Vegeta could do nothing as Zarbon wrapped his arms around him and sent him hurtling towards a plain nearby, charging all of his ki into the throw so that when he impacted the ground, it produced a massive explosion and a crater to match.

As Zarbon panted heavily, he flew to inspect his downed opponent, but found it thwarted by the dust cloud the attack had kicked up. Nevertheless, when he saw no movement for a moment, he smirked.

"Heh...heh...now you know...not to take the Frieza Force lightly..." he got out between pants of exhaustion. However, just then the dust cloud finally cleared, revealing Vegeta with his armor tattered and bleeding from several areas due to debris and blunt trauma, yet very much alive. To Zarbon's horror, he had already begun charging up his signature attack, and was now mere seconds away from firing.

" **FIRE**!" he cried out, leaving Zarbon barely enough time to ready himself to block it before the familiar purple blast of ki arrived at his position. Zarbon grunted as the blast hit him dead on, and he struggled as much as he could against it. The struggle left him unable to prepare any blast powerful enough to fully repel it, and thus he was left concentrating all of his ki into his own physical strength. Although he held it at bay, Zarbon could feel it beginning to take a toll on his body, damaging and burning his skin in places and chipping away at his armor. Seeing this, Vegeta only increased the intensity, pouring all of his strength into the attack. At last, faced with the absolute peak of Vegeta's power, Zarbon's defenses slowly crumbled, until at last he was left screaming in agony as the Galick Gun tore him apart.

Immensely satisfied, Vegeta smirked as what was left of Zarbon fell to the ground charred and matted with blood.

"And so...ends the great...Zarbon," he panted, grunting in pain due to various injuries. After a quick surge of ki cauterized the worst of them, the prince mulled over what to do next.

" _They don't seem to have any additional scouters...meaning that they're searching for the Dragon Balls through a simple planetary search. Depending on where the soldiers go, it's possible that there may be Dragon Balls for me to find. Plus, it's unlikely Frieza will care about the deaths of a handful of worthless soldiers. ...His aide, however..."_ he thought to himself, charging up a ki blast and vaporizing the last traces of Zarbon's remains. Only the damage to the surrounding countryside was left to indicate their battle. Vegeta smirked as the task was completed.

" _Now...let's go see about that unusual signature,"_ he thought before he took off into the sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yamcha had been leaping off of mountaintops using bursts of ki in order to hopefully stay under Vegeta's scouter. However, a slight fluctuation complicated this plan.

" _Hang on...the soldiers...they're all headed towards the Namekians! Someone's spotted the village!"_

Aware of how fast the soldiers were, and how much more powerful they seemed than the Namekian villagers, Yamcha gritted his teeth.

" _Screw it_ ," he thought as he powered up to maximum and took off on an intercept course.

When he arrived within sight of the village, he found his impressions from energy sensing confirmed: he had only barely arrived in time, and after an evident struggle between three wounded Namekian warriors and several dead Frieza soldiers. The Namekians and the wounded warriors were being corralled by Frieza's men, led by a scrawny-looking alien with a beanpole-like purple head lined with yellow spots.

"I'm going to give you one last chance," Appule remarked to the elderly Namekian in front of him, trying his best to look intimidating. "Tell me where the Dragon Ball is...or die."

Tsuno, the first son of the Grand Elder, grunted, his anger evident. "As long as our people draw breath, you shall  **never** accomplish your master's goal."

"...So be it," Appule replied, holding his hand forward as he prepared a ki blast. However, no sooner was he about to fire than he heard a strange noise underneath his feet. "What the-ACK!" he cried out as a yellow energy sphere emerged from the ground and hit him in the chin, knocking him backwards and leaving him reeling. The soldiers looked on in confusion before the one closest to where Yamcha arrived found himself knocked unconscious with a kick to the back of his head. The soldiers rounded upon him, easily surrounding his new position. Yamcha took a deep breath as he prayed for the modifications to his hand to have finally sorted out its problems.

"Wolf Fang Barrage!" he cried out as the soldiers leaped towards him. After holding out his hands in the familiar gesture, he struck out against the soldiers coming at him from all directions, knocking all of them away with a rapid series of powerful palm strikes as he turned around and back to meet each one. To his delight, his right hand stayed intact throughout the process, and indeed seemed to possess a bit more striking power than his left. The soldiers who were not immediately knocked out by this attack had little time to recover, for Yamcha followed up with a powerful kick to the face of one soldier and a ki blast to the stomach of the other, knocking them both out as well.

Yamcha turned to the Namekians as Appule got up.

"You guys need to get out of here, now!"

Tsuno nodded, somewhat in awe of the stranger's power. "Do as he says!" he called out to the others, who began to take off into the sky along with him. Tsuno was the last to leave after running into a dwelling and pulling out a Dragon Ball. Upon seeing it, Appule aimed a ki blast in his direction, but was kicked in the head by Yamcha before he could fire, leaving his aim off as he did so. He turned to the warrior as he wiped blood from his mouth.

"You! You must be with those two that attacked Dodoria!" he remarked.

"...That's right," he replied.

"...Ah. But they aren't here, are they?" he deduced.

"So it would seem."

"Well, then-I suppose I'll have to issue you an ultimatum: surrender now, or die by my hand!"

"...Are the bodies not a clear indicator of how this is going to go down?" Yamcha replied frankly, to which Appule was left stunned.

"Grrr! Are you mocking me?!"

Yamcha smirked.

"GRAH!" he cried out as he fired a ki blast, which Yamcha managed to dodge. He tried firing a few more, but was met with the same success. In anger, he rushed the former bandit, but found most of his strikes blocked by Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist, before a final strike hit him in the face.

"Hey, not bad! You're actually making me try here!" he consoled the alien, which only made him angrier.

"DIE!" he cried out as he placed his hands together. "CANNON OF DEATH!" he cried out, unleashing a powerful purple blast of ki.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Yamcha countered promptly, stopping the attack in its tracks. Appule panted as he stood before the human, who seemed just as tired as he was.

"It appears we're evenly matched! You cannot hope to win!"

Yamcha chuckled. "Eh..not quite. And, yeah, I can."

Before Appule could respond, Yamcha bulked up into the Max Power state and charged up a Spirit Ball, sending it out towards the purple alien. Appule saw the attack coming and managed to dodge it in time, causing him to laugh.

"Ha! Nice try, interloper, but the same attack won't work twice, even if you have gotten stronger!"

Yamcha, however, simply smirked as he flicked his left arm downwards, then towards him.

"Hang on...what are you-?" Appule began before he heard the same noise underground. He looked down in terror before leaping away, hoping to evade it, but Yamcha's hand gestures kept the sphere with him at all times, until finally Appule was caught mid-air. He tried to block the sphere with all of his strength, but found that he could only barely keep it at bay.

"Max Power Spirit Ball...BURST!" Yamcha cried out as he clenched his fist, detonating the Spirit Ball directly in Appule's face. With one last cry of agony, he found himself completely vaporized. Yamcha took a deep breath as he returned to his normal state.

"Heh. I actually managed to beat those guys..." he muttered, satisfied. However, he soon felt a chill as he sensed an approaching energy signature. "Ah, crap-Vegeta's on his way here!" He said, his instincts kicking in as he took off as fast as he could in the direction of the Namekians he'd just saved. When he caught up to them, they looked back in surprise.

"Listen, all of you! We've got to hide for the time being-there's somebody heading towards your village with a device that can track your energy!" The Namekians were somewhat confused, but Tsuno quickly took steps to follow Yamcha's advice.

"There! To that cave, quickly!" He cried out, causing Yamcha and the others to follow suit before reducing their energy down to zero. As if on cue, Yamcha and the Namekians felt an enormous surge of ki from within their village, powerful enough to have wiped the entire area clean. The Namekians stared into space in silent despair over what they had now lost, but one look from Tsuno consoled the others.

"At least we managed to protect our most sacred treasure," he assured them, before a look of shock played out across his face. Yamcha hazarded a look outside of the cave entrance, hugging the wall in order to stay out of sight. There, he saw Vegeta, without a scouter, looking around for a few moments.

" _He doesn't have a scouter...yet he still thought to look here..."_ Yamcha thought. " _Can he sense energy now?!"_

To his relief, the prince seemed satisfied that they were not there, and took off in some other direction. After five minutes had passed, Yamcha turned to the others.

"He seems to have given up for now, but...it's possible that he can sense energy. We should move carefully."

One of the warrior Namekians spoke up. "Hang on, if some of us had time to-!"

"No," Tsuno replied sharply. "You may be correct, but it's too risky!"

"...Understood, my lord."

Yamcha tilted his head in confusion, but decided not to press the issue until they were safe. "...Anyway, we should head to this Grand Elder's place. My friends have been heading there for a while now, in the hopes that he'd be able to help us end this threat to your planet."

Tsuno's eyes widened in recognition. "Yes...that would be the safest place for us. For although this alien's strength is formidable...Nail is stronger still."

" _Must be the warrior Dende talked about_ ," Yamcha mused. "Well, alright then. Pack up the Dragon Ball and let's head out as soon as possible."

Tsuno and the others nodded, picking up the Dragon Ball and quietly slipping out of the cave before each of them in turn used minimal ki to fly across the landscape, Yamcha in the lead with the elder Tsuno behind him, carrying the Dragon Ball.

" _Here's hoping that this Guru is as powerful as Dende said..."_ he thought to himself as they continued on their long journey.

* * *

After resting, Gohan, Krillin, and Dende resumed flying towards their objective, vaguely aware for some time of Vegeta's activities yet continuing on in the hopes that Vegeta would not detect their power levels. Finally, after several more hours, the three of them arrived at their destination.

"Hang on, I see it!" Krillin cried out as a singular dwelling atop a large rocky spire came into view. "Is that the place?"

Dende nodded eagerly as Krillin and Gohan smiled triumphantly. They took off towards the building with renewed vigor before landing in the field outside. Shortly after their arrival, a tall Namekian warrior, clad in a long flowing blue vest and his people's traditional garb, came out to greet them, having sensed their coming arrival for some time. His stoic expression brightened somewhat upon seeing Dende.

"[Dende! It is a blessing that you are well. When I sensed that monster approaching your village-]" he began in Namekian, but Dende placed his hand around Nail's leg.

"[It's okay, Nail. I understand that your sacred duty takes precedence.]"

Krillin and Gohan tilted their heads in confusion throughout the whole exchange.

"These are the ones who saved you?" Nail asked, pointing to the pair of them. Dende nodded, and Nail came forward towards them before bowing. "I extend my people's thanks towards you two for protecting him."

The two were somewhat taken aback by this, but Gohan pressed forward by bowing slightly in return. "I just wish we could've done more. ...So many innocent people dead..." he thought aloud, his fists clenching in anger. Nail smiled consolingly.

"I sympathize with your anger, child. I too wish that I could have lent my assistance."

Krillin coughed slightly, causing Nail to chuckle.

"Of course. Your purpose in coming here is readily deduced. Please, come with me." As Nail led them towards the door, he remarked, "Truthfully, I am not certain what assistance Lord Guru can extend to you."

Dende's face fell. "Y-you mean...?"

"Yes. He's gotten worse," Nail replied. "The loss of so many of his children has put a great strain and sadness upon his heart. I fear that he has mere days to live."

"Can't your Dragon Balls do something?" Gohan asked.

"Their magic does not work upon the entity responsible for their existence."

Krillin's eyes widened. "Yeah, I figured if anyone had made these things, it would be him. The creator of ours was in a similar situation, although in his case the Dragon Balls were recharging."

Nail's eyes widened in surprise as he stopped in his tracks. "You have Dragon Balls on your planet?!"

"Yeah," Gohan answered. "A long time ago, a Namekian who we call Kami created them. They've been really helpful over the years."

"So...that is where he traveled to all those years ago..." Nail muttered, his realization evident across his features. "But...does this mean that the son of Katas is no longer living?"

"He's alive as far as we know. Well...half of him is," Krillin remarked. "But he's old-he doesn't have long. Maybe a few weeks by now."

Nail seemed confused, but shook it off and looked on solemnly as he stepped onto the lift into Guru's chamber. "Then the Namekian species may truly be facing complete extinction."

Before Krillin and Gohan could comment on this, they were taken aback by the sight of Guru-an evidently aged Namekian whose sheer size seemed to take up half the room. Upon his simple throne, resting at the top, was a Dragon Ball. Nail and Guru noticed the Earthlings' expressions, causing the latter to speak up.

"I have not...gone out much in my old age," the elderly Namekian said with a chuckle.

Krillin hastily shook his head. "F-forgive me, your Excellency, I-!"

Guru held up a hand. "Don't bother. On the contrary, such a cause for mirth seems more necessary than ever in these bleak times." His gaze shifted towards Dende, and he smiled softly. "I am thankful that some of my children have been fortunate enough to escape harm."

Krillin and Gohan nodded, before Krillin spoke up. "Lord Guru, my name is Krillin. I came here with some of my friends in order to locate and use your Dragon Balls so that-"

"Please, move closer to my side, young man," Guru interrupted, beckoning him forward. Krillin complied, until he was standing directly adjacent to Guru's chair. Guru reached his large arm over and lightly held it over Krillin's head. He felt a sudden jolt before he lifted up his hand once more.

"Ah...yes. To restore innocent lives...lives sacrificed valiantly in the defense of your world from invasion...your wish is honorable. We shall allow you to utilize the balls for this purpose, and in the hopes that it shall thwart the tyrant Frieza's ambitions."

"Thank you, Lord Guru," Krillin replied. "Now, if you could perhaps give it to us for safekeeping, we can-"

"There's no need," Nail cut in. "The ball is as safe as it can possibly be here. We have been hiding our energy from any possible means of detection, and my power exceeds that displayed by all parties currently on this planet, save for Frieza himself. So long as he does not come here, it will be protected."

"We will continue to safeguard the ball here. If necessary, I shall order Nail to assist you in obtaining the others," Guru added.

Nail turned to his master in confusion. "M-my lord, if I left you here, you would be completely defenseless!"

"One of us could stay and protect him," Gohan proposed.

"Indeed. There is great potential within these two," Guru remarked. "Were I to unlock it..."

"Wait, were you to what now?" Krillin asked.

"One of Lord Guru's abilities is the ability to unlock someone's dormant potential, bringing out new power and abilities they did not previously possess. It is because of this that Nail possesses some of his great strength," Dende answered. Krillin's eyes widened.

"Wow! Really?"

Guru nodded. "Both of you, come here."

Krillin stepped forward, but Gohan hesitated. "You're sure that this won't adversely affect you?"

"Your concern is appreciated, but it takes no energy from me. I can do it as many times as I wish with no negative repercussions to my health. Now, come."

Gohan complied, and the two stood in front of Guru as he placed both of his hands over their heads. With a rush of ki, the two suddenly found their own ki skyrocketing, as if a great mass of power had been freed from a cage inside their own bodies. After a few seconds, the burst of power subsided, and the two looked over at each other as they felt their own power pulsing through their bodies.

"This...this is...incredible!" Krillin gasped, to which Gohan hastily nodded. Guru smiled as he observed the two testing out their newfound power. "You're saying you can do this as many times as you want?"

Guru nodded. "Yes, I imagine your friend-Yamcha, was it?-would appreciate a power boost as well. He is currently on his way here."

"Wait, huh?" Krillin and Gohan asked in unison. "We haven't been able to sense him for hours now!"

"Lord Guru's ability to sense energy is far more sophisticated, due to centuries of experience," Nail explained. "He informed me some time ago that Tsuno, your friend, and the inhabitants of his village would be making their way here."

"It is my belief that they have the Dragon Ball of Tsuno's village in their possession. Your friend defended their village from attack by Frieza's soldiers."

"Yeah, we felt that. Well...great! Awesome!"

"Of course, Vegeta's also out there..." Gohan reminded them.

"Hm...well, then we can go out and escort them over here! That way, if Vegeta comes looking for them, we'll be more than capable of stopping him."

Nail considered Krillin's proposal before looking to Guru hesitantly, who gave him a nod. "It is decided," he said simply, walking towards the lift out of the building with Gohan and Krillin on his heels.

"Thank you for all that you have done," Guru said as the three of them left. "All of Namek stands with you."

"Good luck!" Dende called out before the lift gate closed, and the three warriors took off, the two Earthlings marveling at the speed afforded them by their newfound power as they flew into the sunset.

When they had disappeared from view, Guru pondered something to himself.

"So...he split himself in two, did he?" He thought aloud. "A shame. Were this 'Kami' and 'Piccolo' to become one once again, the potential that such a being could possess..." He trailed off, lost in thought as Dende looked on in the direction the others had left, his concern evident.

* * *

Frieza stood in his personal chamber in contemplation before the communication terminal. It had been many hours since Zarbon or Appule had returned from their missions, and it was approaching the point of genuinely concerning the tyrant. At long last, a soldier burst into his quarters.

"L-lord Frieza! My apologies for intruding, but-!"

Frieza held up a finger to silence him before sighing deeply, resigned to what he had to report. "Which one's dead?"

"...Sir?" the soldier asked.

"Zarbon, or Appule? Whose broken body did you find tossed into a ditch by some primitive trash this time?"

"Uh, n-no bodies, but...scouts did report a series of collapsed mountains and a large crater near Lord Zarbon's last intended destination...as well as a massive crater within Appule's latest search grid."

Frieza turned his head towards him ever so slightly, so that only one eye was glaring at him.

"And an Attack Ball! From Frieza Planet 79!" the soldier got out in a panic as his whole body began sweating profusely in utter terror.

As realization struck Frieza, his scowl deepened, and he turned away. "You are relieved, Private."

The private frantically bowed before leaving the room. However, he had only just managed to make it to the door before Frieza idly fired a finger beam in his direction, leaving him to scream in agony and enveloping his entire body in a mass of ki which left him burned to a crisp on the ground. The door hissed shut, some of the smoke from his corpse flowing into the room.

" _Dodoria, Zarbon, Cui, Abo and Kado-some of my most dependable soldiers, all ripped away! Vegeta, and those two from earlier, must be the ones responsible, whether they're acting alone or together. Well, no matter. I'll have to send in my most dependable soldiers if I truly want them dead. Trash like them don't deserve the honor of my dealing with them personally."_

Thus, Frieza activated the communication terminal, and in only a minute, he found himself speaking directly to a large, muscular individual with purple skin and spikes protruding from the sides of his bald head.

"Captain?" Frieza began. "I believe your services will be required after all."

* * *

And now, the story continues!

Once again, thank you all for bearing with me on splitting the chapter up like this. Fortunately, there'll be a break by the time chapter 17 is up, so there should be plenty of downtime for me to write new chapters and maintain the schedule.

Also, might've missed my shot with the last chapter, but I just wanted to take a moment to tell y'all to go follow BobtheBobKing/BobtheArtKing on Tumblr! They've been following this fic both here and on Ao3 for a while now, and they recently did an adorable piece of fanart depicting Yamcha and Bulma as they appear in Hermit. As soon as they told me about their art blog, I followed it immediately-their art style is really cute and fits the DBZ universe well. Be sure to check out their stuff and read up on their commission prices-they definitely deserve more support.

Anywho, response time!

The Richmaster says:

"... I feel kind of sorry for the Doctor there but it seems likely that Tien's vitals were being recorded so people will know it happened. The real question becomes what might some people do to try and obtain the miracle drug that was used there. The whole interaction with Piccolo and Goku worked pretty well too; it seems pretty clear that the former is still adjusting to the new him"

Yeah, that's always an interesting question. Personally, Idk whether or not I'll do much with that idea in this fic, but I agree that concepts like that are interesting. And thanks! I was hoping to sell the idea that Piccolo isn't quite as "Grrr! I'll surpass Goku and become the mightiest warrior in the universe! MWAHAHAHA!" as he was before. Kami being there to advise him, as well as giving him that sweet, sweet power boost, kinda helps him mellow out on that front. He realizes how much stronger he can become, perhaps more so than Goku, and thus he's secure regarding his place in the world, at least in that respect. Needless to say, having what up until now had been his sworn enemy being this amiable with him is an adjustment for Goku.

BarryManiHigh says:

"Another great chapter. I wasn't expecting the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to come into play at this point, but I loved your utilization of it. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point during their stay in the HTC Goku started teaching Piccolo the basics of the Kaio-ken."

Yeah, it kinda just popped into my head one moment while I was writing that chapter, since I wasn't entirely sure if Piccolo would be able to adjust to gravity training and would need time to get there compared to Goku. The chamber offered a convenient way of getting them both to the same place in that regard so that they'd start training from the same point en route to Namek.

Also, I've honestly gone back and forth on whether I should have Piccolo learn the Kaio-ken. Of course, two weeks is hardly enough time to get much of it regardless, but anyway. With the humans, learning the Kaio-ken is a nice way to keep them relevant, but for much of Z, Piccolo already  **is** relevant-he's fighting Imperfect Cell and keeping up with the Cell Juniors, becoming even stronger than an untrained Super Saiyan  **before**  fusing with Kami. So it's a unique case in that he's already portrayed as being incredibly powerful on his own, and rolling in the Kaio-ken on top of that by, like, Android Saga, with his power...I'm worried that this fic would kind of become the Piccolo Show post-Android Saga, and up until Super comes along and brings Beerus into the picture. The threat of the first two androids would be nonexistent(which might just wipe out 17 and 18 from the picture altogether, and with them much of Imperfect Cell's relevance to proceedings), which alone would have a profound impact on future arcs, possibly for the worst.

I'm not saying all this to suggest that these changes would be bad-more that I'm still deciding if the resulting changes are the changes that I want for this story. You'll have to stay tuned on that.

Guest says:

"Your story has taken a stumble off a cliff with the last few chapters. It is established that a super namekian is stronger than an untrained super saiyan (although goku had 4 years under his belt by the time the androids appeared) which in turn gives your decisions and explanation for said decisions a petty, ''ignorant to everything but praise'' sort of output."

Forgive me, but I'm not quite sure where you're getting that impression?

I've responded to every review left here since making it a full on response thing rather than just questions, positive or negative. That alone suggests that I am at the very least aware of issues brought up by others. And I have indeed made alterations-the TFS lines have gone down, I've tried to keep a healthy balance between character interactions and action, and the gag of picking on Yamcha for not understanding how the Senzu beans work arose from a reviewer pointing out the discrepancy between that statement and the established capabilities of Senzu beans in canon which I had neglected to consider in writing Chapter 9's scene with Piccolo and Good Launch. You can literally see my responses to criticism in the work itself. Idk what else to tell you.

As for the Super Namekian issue, I touched on it when the fusion occurred, but allow me to go into greater depth.

Going back to what Guru said about the Nameless Namekian, asking if he was killed by a Super Saiyan, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1\. Guru's only real metric for how tough "Katas Jr." might be, beyond his knowledge of his own vast potential, is Krillin, since he knows that he comes from the same planet "Katas Jr." ended up. He doesn't have much reason to suspect that he's the strongest human alive before probing his memories, other than the fact that it was him who decided to make the journey to Namek, which isn't saying much. So his knowledge of what kind of training Katas Jr. had undergone prior to splitting is limited.

Also, just, realistically speaking, he can only be so strong given that his fission into Kami and King Piccolo produced Namekians below even a power of 500. True, fusion is shown to be an exponential increase, so one would assume fission is an exponential decrease, but Piccolo's fusion with Nail in canon proves that it's nowhere near something like just directly multiplying the two powers together. It's more complex than that, and less easy to pin down into a reliable formula given that we don't know Piccolo's precise power level during said fusion, or Piccolo's during his fusion with Kami, or even the power of the Universe 6 Namekians from Super after their fusions, beyond mere guesstimates.

So, in summary: we have no clue what Katas Jr.'s power was when he split apart. All we have to go on for his potential is the power Piccolo gains after fusing with Kami, which is demonstrably much stronger than an untrained Super Saiyan and achieved after he'd already gotten incredibly powerful through training with King Kai, his fusion with Nail, and three years of sparring with Goku as a Super Saiyan.

2\. The power of the Super Saiyan state is in itself not something Guru or anyone else can pin down definitively before Goku unlocks it. All Guru knows of are the legends his people recorded and heard about the Saiyans(among them the legend of the Super Saiyan God), and it isn't like legends would state the guy's exact power level. And all anyone in the Frieza Force knows is that no Saiyan has gotten anywhere near the 60,000 Ginyu had thought Goku to be at during their fight, and that the Super Saiyan was so powerful even Frieza feared it. Which sounds like something, except...nobody knows Frieza's maximum power either. They know his first form, which is a start, and they know he can transform into stronger forms, but he's only busted out the second form occasionally, and never uses his other forms except when with his family. Given the limitations of scouters, I don't even know if he's ever bothered having his power measured beyond the second form, let alone if they're physically capable of doing so without exploding.

In conclusion, Guru's working off on an unknown, which is based on an unknown, and which he believes to be greater than an educated guess. All that we can say definitively about Piccolo and Kami's fusion is that, under the right training and support, the form has the  **potential** to be exceedingly stronger than an untrained Super Saiyan. Whether that potential is fully utilized determines whether or not this is the case. Base power will only get you so far, as we can infer from Kami and King Piccolo's respective power levels after Katas Jr. split apart.

With that done, time for power levels!

Vegeta: 32,000

Vegeta(Galick Gun): 38,000

Zarbon: 23,000

Zarbon(beast): 32,000

Appule: 1,800

Tsuno: 1,000

Namekian warriors(their names will be revealed later): 1,300, 1,310, 1,350

Krillin(potential unlocked): 13,000(16,250 at Max Power)

Gohan(potential unlocked): 18,000(yeah, I know, borrowing from TFS here, but tbh, it seems like a pretty good benchmark for a kid with his potential)

Anywho, with all of that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.


	17. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Goku and Piccolo continue to train and learn more about the threat they will soon face on Namek, the Namekian Dragon Balls lie scattered between two factions. On one side of the planet are Frieza and his soldiers, holding five aboard his ship, and on the other lies the home of Guru, where one ball resides and another on its way in the hands of Yamcha. But Vegeta is still incredibly strong, and he will not give up his dream of immortality so easily. Will their new power granted to them by Lord Guru, and the assistance of Nail, be enough for the Earthlings to hold off this threat? Or will the gift of immortality fall upon one of two great evils?

Vegeta took a few steps forward on a plateau near Frieza's ship, reaching out with his senses to locate the few surviving Frieza soldiers. As he'd suspected, they had evidently learned of his battle with Zarbon and the destruction of the Namekian village, and had promptly returned to the ship to guard the remaining Dragon Balls and prevent further casualties. He could sense no more than perhaps twenty or thirty soldiers remaining, none of them particularly threatening. All he had to do was get Frieza away from the ship.

_"At least that part will be simple_ , _"_  Vegeta thought with a chuckle as he fired a ball of ki into the air before it exploded in a spectacular display miles above his head. Wasting no time, he took off and briefly hid within a cave on the opposite side of the ship as he monitored the various ki signatures within. After a moment, he could tell that the soldiers had withdrawn into the ship, and he seized upon the chance, blowing a hole through the cave and taking off towards the ship. No sooner had he done so than he saw just what he had been hoping for: Frieza, knowing his soldiers would be slaughtered if they attempted to track him, decided to get up and hunt him down personally now that the opportunity presented itself.

Barely restraining the urge to cackle maniacally, Vegeta landed just outside the ship just as some of the soldiers returned to stand watch while their lord was gone. No sooner had one of them uttered a single syllable than Vegeta had effortlessly slaughtered the lot of them. Quickly raising the cry of alarm, the other soldiers scrambled to attack the prince as he calmly walked down a corridor and cleaved through all of them with a single ki blast. However, he could still sense seven soldiers within a single location, and rapidly deduced that that was the location that the Dragon Balls were being kept.

No sooner had Vegeta flown into the chamber than he heard the sound of shattered glass and saw the surviving soldiers, all but two of them with a Dragon Ball in their hands, anxiously attempt to make their escape. Although moving as fast as he could to dispatch the two stragglers who intercepted him, he was only able to kill four of the five remaining soldiers before one of them escaped, flying as fast as he could in the direction of Frieza.

"LORD FRIEZA COME QUI-ACK!" the soldier cried out as his body was pierced by a finger beam, leaving Vegeta to pry the Dragon Ball out of the falling corpse's dead hands before retreating into the ship.

However, the noise was enough to dimly catch Frieza's attention, who had been searching around the area of the ki blast for a few moments. With a cry of shock, the tyrant immediately flew back to the ship through the hole in the chamber, while Vegeta fired off a ki blast to his right, blowing another hole into the ship, before doubling back to the left and slipping into an adjacent room. Frieza, arriving in time to hear the sound, took off down the hall to the right and exited the ship once more, to no sign of Vegeta. Although only distracted for perhaps ten seconds, it was long enough for Vegeta to return to the chamber and quickly throw all of the balls out the hole in the window. He took off as fast as he possibly could while Frieza was still distracted, before hiding behind a nearby outcropping. Just a few seconds later, Frieza returned to the ship and his chamber to find the Dragon Balls gone, letting out another cry of shock.

"What the-! He must have-! GRRRRAAAAAHH!" he cried out in frustration before blowing apart a nearby wall with a ki blast. "That prideful fool can't even begin to comprehend how he's inconvenienced me! Agh! To be fooled by such simple tricks-!" After another few seconds, he sighed resignedly. "Well...the Ginyu Force will be on their way soon anyway. Four days until they arrive, if I recall. But...what to do until then?"

Frieza pondered this for a moment. "I  **could**  spend the next four days until their arrival engaging in a manual search on my own, but-agh, such demeaning tasks are what I had  **these**  useless dullards for!" Frieza growled, gesturing to one of the many corpses scattered about the room. "On the other hand...leaving things as they are may prove even more costly. Vegeta was almost certainly the one who destroyed that village, meaning he likely took their Dragon Ball for himself. And who knows where the last one is?"

Frieza took another breath before a plan of action came to mind. He slowly walked down the corridor to the bridge, idly waving his hand in order to telekinetically activate a computer terminal.

"Hm...no scouter signals. So, Vegeta's was destroyed," Frieza mused as his lips curled into a smirk. "Excellent. He's just as blind as I am now." His eyes then fell to the coordinates of two scouters which, from the look of things, had been disabled before the incident at the village. "Ah, yes! That's where Zarbon said he'd be going. The location never was investigated fully..."

His plan of action decided, Frieza set out towards the window once more, looking around the landscape and deciding on a direction.

"He probably threw them all roughly in the same place, so he could find them later. So, I'll simply pick a direction and then pan around to wherever else he could've chosen."

With that, Frieza took off at the rightmost angle Vegeta could have thrown the balls.

"Bear no false hope, Vegeta-it is  **I**  who shall obtain immortality!" He cackled as he flew with breathtaking speed.

* * *

Vegeta emerged from the lake he had plunged into and started suddenly as he felt the evil tyrant exercising his power.

_"I-incredible! Even a fraction of his strength...no! I have to focus! He's heading the wrong way, but it's only a matter of time until he finds the balls!"_

Flying with renewed vigor, Vegeta soon came upon a clearing in which he could see all five of the balls, packed fairly close together.

"Yes! They're all here!" Vegeta cried out in relief before panic began to set in. "But it won't be long until he thinks to come this way. I could risk burying them here, but there's still the chance that he might find them." He pondered over what to do as he quickly gathered the balls around him. "If I could lift them all up at once...no. I have no knowledge of how to perform the kinds of telekinetic feats I've seen of some species."

After a second, however, a thought occurred. "Wait a second! The power of flight involves lifting oneself with minute manipulation of ki! If I were to extend the field around which that ki was manipulated..." He picked up two of the balls and attempted to lift off in such a manner a few times, with little success, before finally managing to slightly lift the other three. Cackling in triumph, he poured more of his energy into the technique, managing to take all five of the balls into the air and have them roughly keeping pace with him as he left the area only moments before Frieza glanced at the area as he flew overhead, before moving on.

After fifteen minutes of flying as fast as he could while keeping his tenuous hold on the Dragon Balls, Vegeta located a suitable alcove and touched down, letting the balls fall to his feet. A small ki blast was all it took to create a suitable hole, within which Vegeta promptly buried the balls. Satisfied that his handiwork would not be easily discovered, he turned his attention to another matter.

"Yes...I'd been sensing it for some time now, but I'd been too distracted," Vegeta mused. "Three great powers...flying off in the direction of that village."

Vegeta sprang to action.

"Yes! That's it! Whoever I sensed before must be getting reinforcements after taking the Dragon Ball from that village!" He took off into the air, angling himself towards their location and setting out. "But none of their powers are any great threat to me! I'll crush them all, take their Dragon Ball, and then I'll be free to scour the planet for the last of them!" Vegeta laughed maniacally as he felt his goal coming ever closer to being within his grasp.

* * *

"Man...I know I said this a handful of times before, but...holy  **crap** , you're strong now."

Goku stood across from Piccolo, both of them panting heavily under the strain of training and twenty times normal Earth gravity. The training room's floor was already noticeably chipped from the struggles between the two.

"Still...you have been improving dramatically, Goku," Piccolo acknowledged, taking note of his torn clothing. "Particularly with that one sudden boost in power you obtained."

"Yeah," Goku acknowledged. "I've been thinking back on some of my old fights, where something similar happened when I got really roughed up."

Piccolo seemed to read his mind. "You're worried that, should Vegeta still be alive, he'll have experienced a similar boost in power."

"Or a greater one," Goku elaborated. "We're both way stronger than he was back on Earth, but if he made it to Namek...the gang's got enough on their plate as it is."

Piccolo nodded solemnly. "Let us hope that he did not, or that your allies are able to evade him."

Goku nodded in turn. "Yeah...anywho!" he said, changing the subject. "I feel like we've gotten the hang of twenty gees. Wanna kick it up a notch?"

Piccolo smirked. "I thought you'd never ask." Just as Goku moved to the gravity generator's control panel, however, he felt a jolt in his brain, which he quickly recognized.

_"Goku? Goku, can you hear me?"_

Goku's face lit up as he recognized the nasally voice in his head.

"King Kai?! Ah, it's good to hear your voice! The last month has been insane!"

_"Likewise."_

Piccolo turned to look at him quizzically, causing Goku to have an idea.

"Oh! King Kai, can you patch in to Piccolo too?"

_"...Oh! Right, of course! Sorry about that."_

"No worries!"

Piccolo blinked as King Kai began communicating to his mind as well. He chuckled.

"Hm...I was wondering when I'd get to talk to the Lord of the Worlds himself."

_"What are you two doing out in the middle of space, anyway? Are you going to search for the Namekian Dragon Balls?"_

"Wait, you don't know? There's something really bad going on on Namek right now, and my friends are right in the middle of it!"

_"Is that so? Well, we can discuss that in a moment. I called to inform you: I've got two new guests on my planet."_

"Two new...?"

Piccolo chuckled slightly. "Ah, yes, I remember. I'm glad to hear you made it across. Chiaotzu, Roshi."

Goku took a step back, while King Kai seemed surprised. "How did you/ _How did you-?_ "

"In the aftermath of the Saiyan invasion and the incident with my late father, Kami made a visit to Other World to vouch for the passage of your fallen comrades across Snake Way to train with King Kai."

_"Still, how...oh. Right. Yes, Roshi and Chiaotzu were informed of the possibility before he sent them off."_

Goku sighed for a moment before his brightness returned. "Can I talk to them?"

_"Certainly. Put your hand on my shoulder, either of you!"_  The voice called out to others. After a few seconds, Goku and Piccolo heard a different voice.

_"Hello, Son Goku and...Piccolo? Kami? Kamiccolo?"_

"It's just Piccolo," he replied with some irritation. Goku, meanwhile, smiled sadly.

"Hey, Master Roshi. It's...it's really good to hear your voice again."

_"I feel the same, my pupil."_

"How'd you even get across Snake Way so fast? It took me six months!"

_"Well, Kami's training definitely helped in that department."_

Goku chuckled. "So now you're training with King Kai?"

_"Yup. And I gotta say, he's really putting us through the wringer with this gravity."_

"Are you going to try and learn the Kaio-ken?"

_"You bet! The technique seems intriguing, and I think I'm already beginning to have an idea of how it works."_

"Yeah, I've been getting in some practice with the Kaio-ken too. Piccolo's fusion with Kami has made him insanely strong!" Piccolo smirked as Goku continued, "Not to mention the gravity we're training under. We've only got five days until we get to Namek, and from what we hear, even this might not be enough!"

King Kai and Roshi both paused for a second. _"You mentioned something really bad going on on Namek,"_  King Kai finally said.  _"Care to elaborate?"_

"Well, I was still hurt, and Piccolo was busy training along with...other things, so Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, and apparently Gohan went to Namek to find their Dragon Balls. But there's somebody else there-some emperor guy and his army! And some of them are even stronger than Vegeta was!"

King Kai let out a gasp of shock.  _"E-emperor?! Wait...was his name...Frieza?"_

"Hm...yeah. I think it was actually."

_"Oh no...no, no, no, no, NO!"_  Goku heard as King Kai busied himself with something.

"King Kai? You still there?"

_"He seems to be looking for something,"_  Roshi remarked. He got no further before King Kai let out a full-blown cry of terror.

_"IT'S HIM!"_

"Huh. So I remembered it right!"

Piccolo chuckled. "For once."

_"SILENCE! This is no joking matter, you two! Listen to me, no matter what you do, when you get to Namek, you need to grab your friends and LEAVE!"_

"What? But...they say he's after the Dragon Balls too. If he gets his wish-!"

_"I know that, but it doesn't matter! Frieza's the emperor of much of your galaxy! His power is beyond anything either of you could ever hope to reach! Defying him will only make him angry, and his anger will send him on a destructive path across the universe! He will find your planet, and everyone you care about will be destroyed with but a flick of his finger! Please, Goku, Piccolo, heed my warnings and STAY! AWAY!"_

"Woah...to think there's someone that powerful..." Goku mused.

As King Kai continued to get worked up, Roshi took over.  _"Listen, Goku, just focus on getting as strong as you can before you get to Namek. With luck, Frieza won't get whatever he's wishing for, and if you should come across him...there_ is  _one technique that Piccolo now knows of which may be of help."_

Piccolo chuckled, recognizing what the old man was getting at. "An interesting proposition. I don't know if it's ever been attempted on someone that powerful...but it may be helpful, indeed. If there truly is no recourse, I will do as you recommend. I'll simply have to find something around here that will work for it."

_"One other thing-if you manage to get the Namekian Dragon Balls before Frieza, focus on the needs of the moment, rather than bringing us back. If these Dragon Balls could give you a way to actually stop him...take it."_

Goku recoiled in shock. "M-master, are you sure?"

Piccolo was likewise surprised. "The Dragon Balls can't resurrect groups of people if more than a year has passed. If the Namekian ones have the same restriction-"

_"Then it's the lives of a couple hundred thousand compared to untold billions throughout the galaxy who may be persecuted and enslaved under Frieza's continued rule,"_  Roshi replied frankly.  _"Besides...I doubt King Kai's training would make much of a difference in whether or not me or Chiaotzu could help you boys down there. We'd be alive for all of five minutes if King Kai's to be believed."_

Piccolo nodded, although Goku looked unsure.

_"Trust me, son. It's the best option in the long run."_

"I-I know, but..."

_"I understand your frustration, but don't worry. If anyone's able to defeat this latest menace, it's you. Now get back to your training, son."_

Goku paused for a moment before nodding. "Sure thing, Master!"

_"I'll see if I can't talk to you again, although I imagine you'll have your hands full."_

"Looking forward to it! Until then, I'll see you later!"

_"Likewise_. _"_  With that, the line went dead, and Piccolo and Goku kicked the gravity up to thirty g's as they had planned.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Other World, King Kai looked worried. "I worry you still don't understand just what Frieza's capable of."

Roshi chuckled. "Oh, I got the gist of it, but if there's one thing I know from twelve years of knowing the man, it's that no entreaty in the world is going to stop Goku from taking on somebody strong. Especially if said somebody is an evil person putting his friends' lives in danger."

King Kai sighed. "I figured as much. I just hope I won't have to see him in this place for a very long time."

Roshi put a hand on his shoulder in consolation. "I hope the same, but perhaps we should focus on a more immediate concern?"

King Kai sighed. "Very well. In order to begin my training, the two of you must tell me a joke!"

Roshi chuckled as Chiaotzu looked unsure. "You're entirely sure you want to start this? With somebody who's been hearing good jokes for three hundred years?"

King Kai smiled slightly. "I've been hearing them for millennia. Now, give it your best shot."

Roshi sat in thought as he attempted to come up with a joke, the first step in what he hoped would be rather productive training with the Lord of the Worlds.

* * *

"So how much further?"

Yamcha addressed the question to Tsuno during the first break they'd had in hours. The elderly Namekian considered it for a moment.

"Given our current rate of travel, about three days."

Yamcha groaned audibly, before looking over at his charge: the Dragon Ball of Tsuno's village.

"Well, as long as Vegeta or this Frieza guy don't spot us, I guess that's alright. I just wish I could contact Bulma or the others. We really should've built communicators or somethi-" Yamcha paused as he felt a familiar sensation in his head. Tsuno evidently felt it, too, as he pointed off to the direction they had been heading.

"Look! Three high powers are approaching!"

"And...yes! It's Krillin and Gohan!" Yamcha cried out in relief before realization set in regarding the familiar signatures' magnitude. "Holy  **crap** , that's  **Krillin**  and  **Gohan**!"

"And the third one with them is...Nail! He's here! Nail is here!" Tsuno cried out joyously, with the other Namekians soon joining in.

Only a moment after they first noticed their approach, the three arrived before them, landing gently on the ground in front of Yamcha and Tsuno.

"Mr. Yamcha!" Gohan called out, wrapping him up in a hug.

"Aw, hey, little man! I was worried about you two!" Yamcha replied. "Holy hell, how did you both get so strong?!"

"Apparently Lord Guru can unlock people's hidden potential," Krillin answered. "Brings out a huge power boost."

"Sounds awesome!"

"[Nail!] [Nail's here!] [Nail's come to save us!]"

"[Brothers! It is good to see that you are all well,]" Nail replied. "[However, you must make haste to Lord Guru!]"

"[B-but Nail, if we use our full energy, then-]"

"[I am afraid he's already on his way,]" Nail said solemnly, leaving the other Namekians to become somewhat anxious.

"Uh, what did he say?" Yamcha asked the others.

"I imagine something about how Vegeta's on his way here after sensing our energy," Gohan replied.

"Oh. ...Crap," Yamcha said.

"I will stay behind and ensure he does not obtain the Dragon Balls," Nail assured Yamcha. "In the meantime, the three of you must get my people to safety."

"You're sure he can take on Vegeta by himself?" Yamcha asked.

Gohan nodded. "From what everyone tells us, he's a lot stronger than him. He should be fine!"

"Well...if you say so," Yamcha acknowledged. "Alright, everyone-we're moving out!"

Powering up to maximum, Yamcha picked up the Dragon Ball and took off, Krillin and Gohan in pursuit along with Tsuno and the other Namekians. Soon, only Nail was left hovering above the clearing, before he was met by the sinister grin of the Saiyan prince himself.

"Huh! So it would seem Frieza's lackeys missed a few of you!" he mused to himself, chuckling. "Well, I happen to be in a fairly good mood, so if you go ahead and let me pass, I might just not use you as a punching bag."

"You can sense energy, can you not?" Nail inquired. "Surely you have guessed this is not my full power?"

Vegeta scoffed. "It doesn't matter how much power you're hiding, slug. I am the second strongest being on this planet! And once I gain immortality, I'll finally be able to wear that bastard Frieza down and take his place as ruler of the universe! Now, are you going to let me pass, or do I have to demonstrate?"

Nail smirked. "By all means," he replied before powering up fully. "Try me."

Vegeta floated backwards a step, before steadying his resolve, flying towards the Namekian at full speed. To his horror, however, Nail simply flew aside before grabbing him by the ankle and throwing him into a nearby mountain. Before he could recover, Nail flew down to meet him with a dropkick to his ribs. As he wheezed in pain, out of breath and with several broken ribs, Nail picked him up and threw him in the opposite direction, leaving him to crash into the open clearing.

Nail landed in front of him, and Vegeta tried his luck with a series of punches, but Nail managed to dodge these easily before taking one in the stomach, to seemingly little effect. Nail swiftly responded by picking him up and replying in kind, leaving him doubled over as he tossed him into the air. Flying upwards, Nail then met him with a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him right back into the dirt.

Enraged and heavily wounded, Vegeta began charging up a powerful new technique, holding both of his arms to his sides. Nail held out his hand and replied in kind.

"FINAL CRASH!"

"Mystic Flasher!" he shouted, summoning forth a massive wave of yellow ki which ultimately consumed Vegeta's after a short struggle, leaving him to take the brunt of the impact. When the smoke cleared, Vegeta was lying on the ground, covered in burn marks and blood and weakening rapidly. Nail calmly walked over to him, charging up ki in order to finish him off.

_"Damn it! I need to...retreat,"_  Vegeta thought to himself with a scowl. Seeking a way out, he opted for a tried and true tactic.

"W-wait!" Vegeta called out, as he struggled to get up. "I-if you kill me, you'll never know where the other Dragon Balls have been buried! You'll be left searching for days!"

Nail stopped for a second, before chuckling slightly. "Not exactly. The Earthlings claim to have a device which allows them to detect our Dragon Balls," he explained, causing Vegeta's face to fall. He briefly considered attempting to steal it from the other Earthlings he could sense not too far away, but realized that even if he got away, the delay would only give Nail more time to catch up to him, or the other Earthlings time to finish him off, assuming they even had it. "Which means...I have no incentive to spare your life."

As Nail held his hand aloft before Vegeta's face, he found himself scowling in rage for allowing himself to be so thoroughly beaten. In desperation, hating himself all the while, he decided to attempt the one last trick up his sleeve, drawing his hands together in front of his face just as he was about to fire.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

The burst of light flashed directly into Nail's eyes, the close range only intensifying the pain as Vegeta flew past him as fast as he could currently manage. Although still able to sense his energy, the pain distracted him for several minutes as Vegeta continued flying. When he'd finally shaken off the effects of the flare, he discovered to his disappointment that Vegeta had managed to drop his energy all the way to zero, rendering him undetectable.

"Blast!" Nail cursed to himself before sighing in acceptance. "Well, in any event, those wounds will certainly kill him if they are not treated soon. If I sense him again, I shall give chase, but for now, returning to the others is the most logical course in order to keep Lord Guru safe."

With that, he reluctantly took off at maximum speed towards Guru's home, seeking to overtake the others who had gone ahead and hoping that the threat of Vegeta was sufficiently dealt with.

* * *

Guru lifted his hand from Yamcha's head, leaving him to bask in the glory of his unlocked potential.

"Whoa...you guys weren't kidding! This is awesome!" Yamcha cried out joyously.

"Yeah! But, it doesn't seem like our unlocked potential is going to do much good against the likes of Vegeta, or this Frieza guy," Krillin replied morosely.

"Eh, maybe, but it'll help us hold out until Goku gets here," Yamcha replied optimistically as he brought his power back down to zero.

"I guess..."

"In any event, as long as we try and keep our energy down as much as we can, we shouldn't run into any trouble with Vegeta or Frieza," Gohan reasoned.

"We can only hope," Krillin replied.

Before any of them could dwell upon the topic, they sensed the arrival of Nail only a moment before he joined the other Namekians and the Earthlings in Guru's chamber. The scowl on his face told them well enough what had transpired.

"He escaped," Nail began. "Blinded me with some technique, then took off while I was distracted. He's hiding his energy now, but he's severely wounded. I highly doubt he'll give us too much trouble, but if he makes his presence known again, I shall eliminate him swiftly."

Guru nodded. "You did the best that you could, my son."

Nail nodded in turn before turning to the Earthlings. "I should apologize to you all as well-he now knows that you are capable of tracking down the Dragon Balls."

The Earthlings started in shock, but sighed resignedly after a moment.

"Well, guess we'll just have to bring you along when we track them down, just in case he tries to jump us for the radar," Krillin reasoned.

"I came to the same conclusion."

"Alright then!" Krillin said, pulling out the Dragon Radar. "Gohan, Nail, you're with me! We'll fly at top speed to wherever the radar says we should go! Yamcha-"

"Already sitting down."

"Gotcha! Let's go!" The three then descended the lift and walked outside before taking off into the sky once more, leaving Yamcha to watch over Guru and the other Namekians with a sigh of annoyance.

* * *

_"Curse that slug...curse those Earthlings...curse Frieza!"_

This train of thought had been steadily making its rounds through Vegeta's head for some time as he trudged to a familiar location on foot, hiding his energy. He knew that, even if he was entirely confident he could fly all the way to the only medical machines he knew of on the planet without passing out, Nail was sure to locate him and finish him off before he could get there. Not to mention he'd have to stay hidden from Frieza for however long it'd take to recover.

"But," Vegeta said with a satisfied smirk as his target came into view, "I still have one advantage."

With renewed effort, he dragged himself into his attack ball, relieved to see that the impact with the ground hadn't damaged its propulsion systems.

"Now...set course for...coordinates 645...by 386...mark 267," he got out before collapsing into the seat. The ship quickly closed the hatch and lifted up into the air, taking off just high enough above the ground to steer clear of any mountains as it flew across the planet.

At its standard cruising speed, it took only a half an hour for the ball to arrive at its destination, a mountain not too far from Frieza's ship. With even more effort, the prince got out of the ship as its hatch opened once more, before resolving to push himself as much as he could to fly to the ship, reaching it in only a minute. From there, he stumbled into the hole he'd created in it previously, searching for one of two rooms of interest to him and doing everything in his power to keep blood from dripping onto the floor and revealing his presence upon Frieza's return.

Eventually, he found the room he sought, and was relieved that it housed the newer model of medical machine. Hoping that it'd be enough, he turned out the power to all non-vital systems within the room, before setting the chamber to open and close with a two minute delay before and after the process was complete. These precautions complete, Vegeta stumbled into the pod, blood now dripping profusely on the floor and control panels, and hooked himself up to the breathing apparatus as the chamber was sealed. He gave in to sleep as the chamber filled with a lime green fluid, hoping against hope that he would be given the time to heal, while also holding another hope in reserve.

_"With the kinds of beatings that I've endured on this planet...combined with the boosts I've gotten previously...yes. This may...be the boost that...allows me to truly...surpass the limits of my race! To become...the...the Super...Super..."_

With that, he drifted into unconsciousness as the pod continued its work.

* * *

"Well! It appears," Frieza began as he surveyed the remains of his search area, dug up almost to bedrock by his telekinetic abilities, "that my search has been for naught." After a slight groan, he resolved to take off into the sky and scope the area out for the direction of his next target.

"Let's see...the coordinates should take me in...that direction," he mused, taking off at a leisurely pace as he continued to think aloud. "It's unfortunate that Vegeta likely moved the balls somewhere else, but without any sort of reference, they could be anywhere on the planet by now. Let us simply hope that he does not obtain the last one during the course of my investigation."

Before he knew it, he arrived at the canyon where Zarbon met his demise. Sparing a second to scowl distastefully at the sight of his aide's final resting place, he continued onward before finally coming upon a serene lake, with no evident signs of life for miles beyond the occasional sea creature. However, his vision soon rested upon a poorly defined shape which seemed to be at the floor of the lake. Moving closer, he could see that the large shape was definitely not a natural formation, but still couldn't make out many details. His interest piqued, he reached out his senses as he began manipulating the ki in the nearby area.

Within the ship, Bulma had been relaxing, getting herself a snack from the ship's kitchen, when the entire ship was suddenly racked by a massive jolt, as if being picked up by some giant hand. Bulma quickly lost her footing, and both her and her food fell to the floor.

"AH! What the HELL?!" she cried out in surprise before glancing out a window and noticing her predicament:

The ship wasn't underwater anymore.

"Uh...ship? Did you...take off accidentally or something?" she called out, making her way slowly to the helm.

"Propulsion systems are offline," the ship replied robotically. Bulma was about to ask it what was going on, before she looked out the front window to see Frieza floating directly in front of the ship, apparently not having moved a muscle. Being acquainted with Chiaotzu, she had some idea that ki could be used to give its user telekinetic abilities. Further, based on how the aliens responsible for the attack on the village were described to her, and the sheer power on display, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the identity of the horned figure. And Bulma was much smarter than a rocket scientist.

"SHIP GET US OUT OF HERE AS FAST AS POSSI-!" Bulma screamed in terror before she heard the hatch opening. "W-what?! How the hell-?!" she muttered frantically before activating the emergency override, causing the hatch to close once more. She allowed herself only a second to sigh in relief before she looked out the window to see that the emperor was gone. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she turned around.

"Greetings," the emperor said, in a surprisingly cordial fashion. "I was hoping we might have the chance to talk."

Bulma was about to respond before she felt a powerful sensation all throughout her body, as if she was being crushed by a truck. Within seconds, she had completely lost consciousness, being lifted up telekinetically by the emperor as he nonchalantly blasted a hole in the ship. With little effort, he released his hold on the vessel, sending it falling sideways back into the lake with a resounding splash as he took off towards his own ship, his captive in tow.

* * *

"You know, that was...a lot easier than I was expecting."

Krillin made the observation as he, Nail, Gohan stood over the spot where Vegeta had buried the five Namekian Dragon Balls. With the radar's help, digging them up had been easy, and they were in the process of picking them up for transport.

"I'll say. I haven't sensed Vegeta at all!" Gohan remarked.

"He's evidently sensible enough to not try and approach us in his wounded state," Nail reasoned. "What's more...wait."

Nail paused, reaching out with his senses towards a particular location.

"What is it?" Gohan asked.

"Frieza...he's been moving."

"Yeah, we've been feeling that every so often," Krillin replied. "It's kind of hard to miss him, honestly."

"It's not just that-there's another one with him. Significantly weaker-evidently not a fighter."

"A Namekian?" Gohan asked. Nail shook his head.

"Every Namekian save for the inhabitants of Tsuno's village, Dende, myself, and Lord Guru is dead. Lord Guru himself told me that nobody else survived."

"But who else would have such a low...power...level?" Krillin asked, his heart sinking and his eyes widening as he realized who it was. "Oh, no."

"What? Who else could it-?" Gohan began before he too realized who had been taken, gasping in shock. "Miss Bulma!"

Nail cocked his head in confusion. "Who?"

"She came with us on our mission to gather the balls," Krillin explained.

"More to the point," Gohan added frantically, "she's the one who built our Dragon Radar!"

Nail's eyes widened slightly before his expression settled into a frown. "And now that knowledge may reside within Frieza's grasp as well."

"S-she'd never cooperate with him!" Krillin said, although Gohan seemed hesitant to agree.

"She may not be given a choice in the matter," Nail replied. "Frieza's likely kept her alive solely because he believes she has information about your activities. You've seen the wanton acts of cruelty he's capable of."

"Plus...have you **seen** how that woman holds up under pressure?" Gohan asked candidly, fear evident in his voice. Krillin's face fell as he took Gohan's words into account, before his determined expression returned.

"Well, then, we need to get her back immediately!"

"Agreed, but there are more pressing matters we must remedy first," Nail replied. "We should get these back to Lord Guru's before we try and work out a rescue plan. As long as your companion is able to hold out, Frieza will have no way of knowing we have all seven balls in our possession. As much as their power would benefit us at the moment...we must keep it that way."

Krillin looked at him confused, while Gohan nodded. "Ah, yeah. I heard something about the Dragon Balls cutting out the light of the sun when activated. Figures yours are similar."

"And on a planet with three of them, such a change is  **very**  noticeable," Nail said. "Should we attempt to use the Dragon Balls, it is almost certain that Frieza will realize what has happened and kill your friend, whether out of anger or simply because her services will no longer be needed."

Both Krillin and Gohan blanched at this news. "W-we can't just leave her!"

"Nor did I suggest you should," Nail replied, focusing on the ki around him for a moment. Soon, three Dragon Balls were floating near him, with the other two in his hands. "I can get the Dragon Balls to Lord Guru's. You two go on ahead and see if you can formulate a rescue plan. I'll join you as soon as I am able."

With that, he took off, leaving the two of them to contemplate the best plan of action to rescue their friend, before flying in the direction of Frieza's ki signature.

"Come on, Bulma...just sit tight! We'll...we'll figure out some way to get you out of there!" Krillin thought to himself, partly out of genuine belief, and partly to reassure himself that she had not already been lost.

* * *

Another chapter completed on time! Whew! Admittedly, this one wasn't too hard to get through, although I do worry I've been abbreviating some of the fights. I'll let you guys be the judge of that. Anyway, responses!

BarryManiHigh says:

"So Vegeta doesn't know about Frieza's other forms. I wonder if that will have a notable effect on the story?"

You'll see what happens with that later, but needless to say, he's in for a surprise.

The Richmaster says:

"I'm definitely enjoying the changes here and it's interesting to see Yamcha actually doing something here; the various interactions all fit well too. The doctor side of things might be an interesting minor background plot, all things considered it's probably known that they know Bulma so it might be considered a Briefs prototype."

Eh, maybe, but like I said, idk if this fic is necessarily the place for that particular kind of subplot. Might touch on it, but definitely not until we get back to Earth, at least. Also, yup, this fic has been fairly good to Yamcha thus far, lol. Dunno how long that trend will continue, but him doing things that actually matter will.

Anonymous says:

"Uhh...Piccolo was not stronger than a untrained ssj before fusing. Gohan says piccolo seems as strong as a ssj, but Vegeta just scoffs. Goku did NOT train in his ssj form for the 3 years, only on yardrat to get it under control and while fighting 19, was no where near his full power due to heart virus. Piccolo(unfused)untrained ssjfused piccolo. I still believe piccolo and kami's fusion should be stronger but its your fic and you have the liberty of changing stuff as long as it's not too outrageous Update soon"

Huh, interesting. I assumed that he was, at least as far as sparring with Piccolo went, since Gero and 19 were allegedly much stronger than the humans, including Tien, who we later see hold off Semi-perfect Cell with the Shin Kikoho. Training his base form would seem kind of pointless for Goku with this whole new lattice of power to tap into, but then again, it *would* explain why he only just started refining it to Grades 2 and 3 and Mastered in the Cell Saga. Yeah, I'm not sure on that-might have to re-read that arc.

As for Vegeta scoffing, I remember that, but I just kind of assumed it was typical Vegeta "Grr but my PRIDE!" behavior. Under the assumption that he had been training with Goku as a Super Saiyan, I figured it was fair to put Piccolo slightly above the level Goku was at when he first unlocked it, thus explaining how he's able to easily curbstomp Gero, while a sick Goku only barely held his own against 19. Anywho, I'll have to keep all this in mind for when we eventually get to the Android Saga.

Guest says:

"Although the event that forced piccolo to leave Namek was at a time super-Namekians weren't all but gone (which guru lived through), wouldn't surprise me if super had ''the event'' be Beerus. Either way, he should be at least a few 100 thousand above Nail."

Eh, I personally doubt that. Didn't watch too much of Super, but from what I have seen, Idk how merciful Beerus would be to a planet whose people don't eat food. But just leaving them with a drought also isn't his style. I would wager if it was Beerus who showed up back then, Namek would've just been blown up, unless the villagers prepared him something.

Also, given Piccolo and Kami's levels of power, I could understand people defending anything from like 10,000 to 50-60,000. Anything more seems a bit far-fetched to me, personally.

TienFan180 says:

"Just wanted to say, I am really loving the route this story is taking so far and the creativity on display in regards to the story of Dragon Ball, it really feels like the story could go in any direction because of one minor change. Some thoughts I wanted to share were that with Zarbon's line about the value of Earth increasing tenfold, perhaps some soldiers will he sent to conquer the Earth again giving Tien and the remaining characters something to do #plot predictions #mybestguess. Also in regards to Piccolo learning Kaio-ken, maybe he can use it but just to very small multipliers because it can't be as easy to use the spiritual technique of the Kaio-ken when you have two souls in your body to deal with instead of one, with his maximum maybe being around 2 or 3 times Kaio-ken? Wondering what your thoughts are!"

Thank you! One of my primary goals with this fic has been to create a fresh and engaging story, so I'm pleased to hear that seems to be paying off.

As for your prediction, I'm honestly not entirely sure what I'll be doing during the intermission between the Frieza and Android Sagas. I feel like if the Frieza Force did send soldiers, they'd be close to Ginyu-level, and the only characters who come to mind that wouldn't be an OC would be the Armored Squadron. As a rule, I'd like to keep non-canon movie characters out of this story, unless I think they have the potential to have a serious impact beyond just filling up chapters. So, the Armored Squadron are probably out of the question there, but yeah, I have considered such an idea before. I've also considered limiting Piccolo with the Kaio-ken in some way(my thought was his Namekian physiology making it more difficult to go to higher levels), but Idk how people would react to that. For now, though, either idea is a little ways off, so I won't concern myself too much. Anywho, thanks for the input!

Alright, and with all that done, power levels!

Roshi: 1,100(keep in mind that all of that running for a month straight is bound to be a good workout)

Chiaotzu: 800

Yamcha: 11,000

Piccolo, Goku: I'll save those for when they land, if that's okay with y'all.

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.


	18. The Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having secured all seven of the Namekian Dragon Balls, things were starting to look up for our heroes, before an unexpected development threw a wrench into their plans: Bulma being captured by the evil tyrant Frieza and taken to his ship, where he has stood watch over her like an immensely powerful specter. How will our heroes rescue her from Frieza's grasp? Just what is he planning to do to her? And where does Vegeta fit into all of this? Find out now, in Hermit!

Bulma's hand went to her forehead the instant she stirred from unconsciousness, dimly registering a faint residual headache. Her vision blurred as she tried to take in her surroundings-what appeared to be a pastel-colored room with no windows and only a single light source. What furniture had been in the room had evidently been torn out save for a cot and a sink, with a series of packages stacked next to it.

"Oh, good, you finally decided to awaken," a familiar voice said a few feet away from her. As soon as she registered it, she attempted to move backwards, only to find her body held in place. After a few seconds of struggle, she gave up, accepting that she was not freeing herself from Frieza's telekinetic grip anytime soon. "Ah. So you've accepted your circumstances," Frieza observed. "Excellent. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

Bulma sighed, regretting her life choices. "And if I refuse?" she said pointedly, some defiance left over. A second later, she drew a sharp breath and winced as her pinky was broken without any conscious effort on Frieza's part. "...Point taken," she got out in between deep breaths.

"Superb. Now, firstly, just so that we're clear, you are female, correct?"

Bulma's eyes adopted a cynical look, the look of one who has dreaded a particular situation for some time and did not wish to ever experience it. "...Yes."

"Alright. I just wanted to make sure that calling you 'girl' was technically correct. Understand, it was either that or 'filthy primitive trash,' and really, the first is a bit simpler, wouldn't you agree?"

Bulma cocked her head in confusion. "Couldn't you have just asked my name?"

Frieza laughed out loud. "As if I'd bother to remember something like that!" As he finished chuckling, he took a slight breath and continued. "Ah, you peons crack me up sometimes. Anyway, girl, you will inform me of the current whereabouts of your associates immediately-most particularly the young Saiyan child-or you will suffer immensely as I slowly break every individual bone in your body."

"And if I have absolutely no idea where they are at this point?" Bulma shot back.

"Then you will explain to me in the next sixty seconds why I should not shatter every bone in your body at once and liquefy your organs. Your time starts now."

As Frieza slowly began counting down from sixty, Bulma's eyes widened in panic. Hopeful that she could still talk her way out of this one, she blurted out at the forty five second mark: "I CAN HELP YOU FIND THE DRAGON BALLS!" Although she did her best to play up her own apprehension to his benefit, she quickly discovered she didn't need much help on that front.

Frieza's eyebrow arched up slightly. "Oh? Well, that would be something. The most elite military organization in the galaxy ultimately failed on account of one troublesome monkey, a dwarf, and a small monkey child, but sure, I imagine you can succeed where they failed."

Bulma smirked, satisfied she'd gotten his attention. "What if I told you there was a way to locate the Dragon Balls without relying on your scouters to find people who have them?"

This time, Frieza seemed genuinely interested. "...Is that so?"

"In my research, I've discovered that the Dragon Balls give off a particular energy signature, which my equipment can track. My friends have the original device, but I could probably cobble together a rudimentary version for you with the proper materials, Lord Frieza, sir," she said, hoping that he accepted her assistance.

Frieza seemed to consider her proposal before nodding slowly. "An intriguing offer. How long will it take you to complete this device?"

"Hm..." Bulma appeared to think for a moment before replying. "About four days, give or take."

Frieza scoffed. "By that time, the Ginyu Force will have already arrived with their scouters, which shall be more than adequate in locating someone who can tell me the balls' location. You have one. Any longer, and the sixty second timer will resume where we left off."

Bulma gulped. "Gotcha. Now then, just get me some materials and-" Before she could finish, she vaguely heard a whoosh of air, followed by a pile of scrap metal falling at her feet. This procedure repeated itself several times over the next thirty seconds, with Frieza only seeming to disappear for a few seconds every time. He finally threw down a handful of tools whose functions Bulma could only guess at.

"Work," he commanded. Bulma sighed and began examining the tools to figure out how they worked, as she carried out what she could of her plan. She could only hope that the others had noticed her being taken and were busy coming up with a plan of their own.

* * *

"Anything?"

Nail floated down to the ground besides Krillin and Gohan, careful not to give away their position behind the nearby outcropping. Krillin and Gohan looked at each other before he shook his head.

"Nothing. Near as I can sense, he doesn't seem to experience fatigue, meaning that any plan involving him taking a nap is out. He hasn't moved much, so he probably doesn't need to eat or drink anything for a while, either."

"Hm...I don't suppose you'd be willing to try your luck at hitting him with a Solar Flare followed by that disc attack?" Nail asked, expecting the answer in advance.

"Somehow I doubt even the Kienzan is that strong."

"Are you sure we can't just use the Dragon Balls?" Gohan asked, hope in his eyes. Nail sighed deeply.

"I discussed the matter with Lord Guru and the others once I delivered the balls. Several ideas presented themselves, albeit all of them come with an unfortunate risk."

"Name them," Krillin said, both he and Gohan waiting for an answer.

"The first was to teleport Frieza and Vegeta, should he still live, away from this planet. There is a planet not too far from here which has no intelligent life-Frieza and Vegeta would find themselves stranded there, battling the many hostile creatures that call it home, as well as each other. Based on his power and injuries, Vegeta would surely perish, and Frieza could very well starve to death."

"...But?" Gohan asked, expecting a catch.

"Our knowledge of the technology Frieza possesses on his person is limited. We know that all of his scouter devices were destroyed, but-"

"For all we know, he could have some other communicator or distress beacon on him," Krillin finished, to which Nail nodded. "By which point more of his men show up, give him a lift, and he's right back here sooner or later, royally pissed."

"Or he travels to your world instead, which he is evidently aware of given what Lord Guru told me about Vegeta's earlier invasion, and kills all of your loved ones in pursuit of your own Dragon Balls."

Both Gohan and Krillin paled at the thought of all of their friends and family dying along with the rest of humanity.

"W-what about the second option?" Gohan asked, to which Nail chuckled bitterly.

"That one was more controversial-teleporting everyone living or dead on the planet away, to Earth perhaps, and leaving Frieza and Vegeta here along with whatever warriors wish to remain to try and stop them."

"Wait, didn't you say that the Dragon Balls' magic can't affect their creator? Would Lord Guru have to stay behind?" Krillin asked.

Nail shook his head. "There are some exceptions to the general rule. Simply teleporting their creator from one place to another is permissible. However, there are larger issues with this plan."

"Such as?" Gohan asked.

"Well, for one...some of the survivors do not wish to risk our home further, and they are not convinced that the warriors you spoke of will be powerful enough to defeat Frieza. Should Frieza not be stopped here, the fate of this planet, our home, is obvious."

"Not to mention the Earth will still be in danger," Krillin added. "He'll just sigh, shrug his shoulders, and go there next!"

"Further, with both plans, it is highly probable that Frieza will kill your friend in a fit of anger upon realizing what was happening, which would be rather troubling, to say the least." Nail paused as he delivered the verdict. "In light of these considerations, Lord Guru has decreed that the Dragon Balls must not be used at this time."

"Well, we have to do  **something**!" Gohan snapped back in frustration. "It's been seven hours!"

"At the very least, she seems alive and healthy for the moment," Nail remarked. "I can only assume she's provided him with something of enough value to justify keeping her alive."

Krillin and Gohan looked down at the ground as they considered Nail's grim logic. "If that something is how to build a Dragon Radar, we're all screwed," Krillin said bitterly.

"We can assume that a man of Frieza's imperial tendencies wouldn't stoop to the task of building such a device himself if given instructions on how to do so, even if he could. So, it would be logical to conclude that your friend shall remain alive for however long she takes building this device for him."

Gohan put his anger to the side for a moment to consider this. "And...since he doesn't know what's in the radar, she could be building him something completely useless!"

"Precisely. Which may actually serve to throw him off the track even longer, helping us all the more as we await the arrival of your warriors and decide our next move."

"But the only way that can happen is..." Gohan said, clenching his fists angrily at the prospect. Nail nodded solemnly.

"Leaving well enough alone."

Krillin sighed. "In the absence of any actual strategy, that seems to be the best bet. We'll sit tight, stay out of sight, and hope that an opportunity to get her out of there comes up sooner rather than later. Besides, worst case scenario, we just wish for everyone killed by Frieza and his men to be brought back by the Namekian Dragon Balls when this is over and done with."

Nail drew a sharp intake of breath upon hearing Krillin mention the balls, at which point Krillin's heart sank. Gohan was the first to speak up. "What is it?"

Nail cleared his throat before answering. "Yes, I probably should've mentioned this sooner. The Namekian Dragon Balls were crafted in such a way that they can bestow three wishes within a single use. However...in the matter of resurrection, only one person can be resurrected per wish."

Both of the Earthlings' hearts sank upon hearing the news. "So...best case scenario, we'd only be able to revive three people?" Krillin asked.

"Correct. I had assumed that you could use one of the wishes to assist this 'Kami' you spoke of, thus ensuring that he would live and that you could then use your own Dragon Balls to fix the problem."

This time it was Gohan's turn to draw a breath. "Yeah, uh, about that...we already used our Dragon Balls a month ago. And our year is, like, three of yours."

Nail's eyes widened as he took in this information. "...Oh. Well."

"Not to mention that they can only revive groups of people within a year of their deaths, judging from what Kami told us before we left," Krillin added. "And most of the people we're trying to revive died, like, the day after we used them last. Clock's ticking there."

"And they can't grant the same wish twice," Gohan added as well. "So we'd have to use yours to revive our friends Chiaotzu and Master Roshi, who were revived once years and years ago."

Nail considered this for a moment before sighing. "Very well. In that case, we must approach this situation with caution. With two people requiring resurrection on top of the matter of dealing with Frieza and Vegeta, we should work to ensure that no further wishes are required. After all, we may find ourselves having only one chance to use either set of Dragon Balls before the consequences of our actions become apparent. When the right opportunity presents itself, we must act decisively to ensure that your friend is rescued unharmed."

Krillin and Gohan nodded, and the three sat in silence behind their hideout, patiently waiting for the perfect moment to rescue Bulma.

* * *

"Ughhh..."

Goku groaned as he gulped down half of a Senzu bean, Piccolo watching over him with some slight concern. Around the two of them, the pressure of 40 gees of Earth gravity was making itself known on the surrounding objects, as the intensity of their training was upon the training room floor.

"Are you quite certain that half of a Senzu bean will be sufficient?"

"Eh. It'll patch up the wound, at least," Goku remarked tiredly. "Besides, might need the other half later."

Piccolo grunted.

"You're speaking rather nonchalantly for someone who just took a Special Beam Cannon through the side."

Goku chuckled with growing strength, the half Senzu bean patching up the wound and restoring a slight bit of energy.

"Heh. Yeah. It's too bad Saiyans can't heal like Namekians can. With this 'Saiyan power' thing on top of that, I'd be unstoppable."

Piccolo chuckled. "Likewise."

Goku sighed before grunting with the effort of getting back up onto his feet, Piccolo quickly following suit.

"Wow. You know, I thought you'd start to fall behind in the training without these kinds of power boosts, but I gotta say, you're pulling ahead a lot more than I am."

Piccolo allowed a smirk to show itself. "With the potential of this new form, I think you shall find me maintaining this new gap between us far longer than you initially anticipated."

Goku laughed. "Ah, I'll catch up to you yet! Just you wait!"

Piccolo laughed as well. "So you say," he replied, smirking. "I'm more than ready to kick things up a notch once more."

Goku considered this. "Hm...maybe take a few more hours to get used to this level first."

Piccolo nodded in affirmation, yet he couldn't help grinning slightly at the Saiyan's denial. Nevertheless, he took a few paces back and paused as Goku entered into his traditional combat stance. Piccolo swiftly followed suit, and the two engaged in another sparring match.

* * *

Yamcha sat staring off into the distance at the front of Guru's home, arms crossed as if he were meditating, yet his eyes never straying from the direction his friends had gone. With his unlocked power and the practice he'd gotten, he could sense her even from that distance, a tiny blip mere feet away from a bright, blinding light. The same blinding light which, for what bravery he had and what caring he held for the young scientist, had been keeping him from mentally telling Krillin to screw himself and leaping into action as fast as he could fly. He could sense easily enough that Frieza wasn't going anywhere, or letting his guard down for a moment. Whether or not he was there along with Krillin and Gohan would make no difference to proceedings should they be spotted by the tyrant-if anything, it would worsen their chances of ultimately succeeding in their goals, even with all seven Namekian balls in their possession. Nothing could be gained by piling up corpses, he told himself.

Nevertheless, he couldn't deny that the impulse was there. It ate away at him, piece by piece, and it took every ounce of willpower he had to stop himself from charging ahead anyway. He knew that Bulma would chide him for it afterwards. Probably insist that she was just about to rescue herself from her own predicament. Or would it be the opposite, he wondered: her chiding him for taking so long? He chuckled. There were moments when he couldn't really tell. She seemed to bounce between moods on a dime in any given situation, viewing it maturely one moment and rather immaturely the next. It was one of the many things about her that he found strangely cute-an amusing contrast between her dizzying intellect and her spoiled shortsightedness.

He looked back on how they first met-hardly the most romantic first meeting, him being right in the middle of robbing them blind and knocking her friend around while she was taking a nap. Their second meeting was even worse, throwing an RPG launched directly at her car with her inside into the mix. And yet, somehow, their mutual desire for some kind of romance had led to them developing...something. Even after twelve years, he wasn't quite sure what to call it. It was a lot more than a fling, that was for sure, but the on-and-off nature of their relationship didn't quite bring terms like "love" or "soulmates" to mind. Particularly given a tendency of Bulma's to "keep her options open" in a rather vocal manner, which annoyed him slightly. Of course, he wasn't really one to talk-he had slightly flirted with his friend's apparent fiance once, after all.

He sighed deeply. In the end, it didn't really matter. Whatever thing they had, it most definitely was a thing. And said thing was going to keep driving him to take for the skies and burst in to save her to no effect. So, he took a deep breath, rubbed his sore eyes, and continued reaching out with his senses towards that tiny blip that represented something completely insignificant and the center of everything, at the exact same time.

* * *

After many hours of work without rest and with minimal food and drink, Bulma's "Dragon Radar" was finally complete. She designed it to be little more than an interactive screen with seven blips scattered about at pre-set coordinates based loosely on her own Dragon Radar's measurements. With luck, based on what she had guessed of the emperor's personality and his own lack of knowledge, he wouldn't expect deception until he was already there-a random spot on the other side of the planet where she had placed six of the dots, with a seventh traveling towards it at high speeds.

"Alrighty, Lord Frieza! One more or less fully functional Dragon Radar!" Bulma said, somewhat drowsily. Evidently, Frieza was not the kind of man accustomed to giving his workers breaks.

Frieza simply glanced at the readings on the device before something caught his eye-six blips on the screen clustered in one spot, with a seventh approaching them. "T-those blips...they are the Dragon Balls?"

"Correct. Why do you a-" Bulma said before looking over to see, feigning surprise. "Oh. Oh, that's not very great for you, Lord Frieza."

Frieza's face contorted into a scowl. "Either your friends or that filthy monkey must have gotten all of them in their possession by now! They're mere minutes away from the others at that speed!"

"You better hurry if you still want to get your wish, Lord Frieza, sir!" Bulma replied. "I'd hate to think I worked the last sixteen hours for nothing."

Frieza nodded, and with a slight twitch of his eye, the metal of the wall and floor around Bulma twisted, breaking into bent strands which swiftly trapped her. Frieza looked deep into the scientist's eyes. "If I find that you have built this device as part of some elaborate deception-"

"You'll liquefy my organs. Yeah, I got the picture."

Frieza chuckled before snapping his fingers. The same crushing sensation from before permeated throughout Bulma's body, and she fell into unconsciousness. "Actually, I was going to say I'd blow you up into a million pieces and send them all into the cold reaches of space, but...that works." With that, he took off, the radar in tow as he raced against time to acquire the "balls" for himself.

Although Bulma was out cold, a few minutes later she was roused from the emperor's forcibly induced slumber by a loud crash which tore apart the metal around her, freeing her from her bonds just as she was startled awake.

"AGH HOLY CRAP WHAT THE HELL?!" she cried out in shock before she was suddenly tackled into a hug by Gohan, Krillin floating nearby as he discarded the pieces of metal alongside a Namekian Bulma didn't recognize.

"Miss Bulma!" Gohan cried out in relief, while Bulma simply chuckled. "Agh, I was so worried!"

"Awwww. Don't worry, buddy. All he did was mess up my sleep cycle a bit," she replied, touched by Gohan's concern and having calmed down somewhat, before her attention fell on Krillin. "Look, I know you had to wait until he was gone, because...yeah, you guys do  **not**  stand a chance against  **that** , but...could've done with some warning."

"Difficult to manage when you're completely unconscious," Nail replied pointedly. Bulma cocked her head, before Krillin elaborated.

"Nail, Bulma. Bulma, Nail."

"Greetings," Nail said, holding out a hand, which Bulma took quickly before letting go and grabbing a couple things from the cell. Nail got the message. "Of course. We shall make haste to depart, but first..." Nail began, intent upon finishing his thought as he briefly floated out of the crew quarters and down the hall towards the engine room when he felt something. A familiar disturbance on the edge of his awareness, that was a lot bigger than it should've been. Much bigger. "...Oh, no."

"What? What's going on-oh, no," Krillin replied a few seconds afterwards, proceeding to grab Bulma and take to the sky immediately. "Yeah, okay, we're leaving right now!"

"What?! Why are we going all of a sud-oh, goddammit, it's  **Vegeta** , isn't it?!" Bulma cried out, annoyed at what seemed to be an endless stream of powerful people who wanted them all dead. As Krillin and Gohan took off, Bulma remarkably surprised at their speed, Nail followed suit after sending a small ball of ki down the hall and directly into the engine room, permanently grounding Frieza's ship, before he too fled, being able to tell all too well that he wasn't dealing with the same Saiyan warrior he fought before.

By the time the medical pod opened automatically, releasing its various restraints as Vegeta slowly awoke, the Saiyan prince was the only person left on the ship. He only dimly registered Nail's energy for a few seconds before it disappeared somewhere, but Vegeta shrugged this aside. What was more important was the intensity-whereas before, Nail's power had been far greater than his own, now the reverse was true, to an even greater extent. Vegeta laughed maniacally as he flexed his newfound muscle, powering up to maximum and taking off through the ship's hull, cleaving through it like paper. He looked off into the distance, where he could sense Frieza's energy across the planet, first concentrated in one spot and then increasingly spreading out around the nearby area. He assessed the energy from his own body, and came to a remarkable conclusion.

"I'm...I'm only slightly weaker than he is!" Vegeta remarked, shocked himself at the sheer boost in power. "I may yet risk it, but...no. No, it'll be smarter to wait. Once I gain immortality, my victory will be assured!" With this thought, he turned his sights towards where he had sensed Nail's energy, and took off there immediately mere moments before Frieza returned, more incensed than ever. As Vegeta searched around the area of Frieza's ship to no avail, trying as he might to sense even the smallest perceptible energy source and failing, so too did Frieza observe all of the obvious signs of escape by Bulma and her friends, and found himself tiring rapidly of the whole business. He crushed the useless device between his fingers, before proceeding to vaporize it with a small ki ball.

As Frieza saw it, once the Ginyu Force arrived, he could search for the balls at his leisure. Even if they ultimately used them, he could simply occupy the planet for one rotation after murdering Vegeta, the child, and the other pests, and get his wish again. Similarly, Vegeta knew that the moment any of the Namekians or Earthlings revealed themselves with a significant burst of energy, he could track their location even despite his still limited understanding of energy sensing. Thus, the two royal figures came to the same conclusion at the same time:

"All I have to do is wait."

* * *

As soon as Nail and the Earthlings had gotten out of Frieza and Vegeta's reach to Nail's satisfaction, they quickly worked out a plan.

"Without any scouters, we shouldn't have to worry about Frieza coming after us unless he decides to search for us himself. He doesn't really seem like a hands-on kind of guy, you know?" Krillin pointed out. Bulma, however, took a deep breath before letting the group know what she knew.

"Apparently he's called in some group called the Ginyu Force. Sounds like they're the elites of Frieza's army, and you can bet they'll be bringing scouters too."

Krillin gulped, while Nail pressed for more. "How long?"

"Three days now, he said."

"T-three days?! How the hell are we supposed to get back to Guru's by then without tipping anyone off?! And what if they're even stronger than any of us?!"

"Don't worry-my daddy and Mr. Piccolo are coming in three days, too!" Gohan pointed out, to Krillin's acknowledgement.

"Let's just hope Goku will pull one of his miracles here," he replied, somewhat optimistically. The group nodded.

"In any event, we must ration our time carefully," Nail remarked. "With the destruction of your ship, there is nowhere closer for you to go to be safe than Guru's home. And in order to evade Vegeta, we must travel by foot or brief bursts of flight which he's unlikely to detect. This would only lengthen the journey."

"Still...it's the best idea we've got," Krillin remarked. "We'll get there as fast as we can, wait for Goku and Piccolo, hope they're strong enough to save the day, and use the Dragon Balls to help us out as soon as we safely can."

The other group nodded, and after a short break with some of the rations Bulma smuggled out, the group was off at minimal speed towards Guru's home.

* * *

Over two days later, Goku collapsed onto the ground, hurriedly swallowing another half of a Senzu bean before handing the other half to Piccolo, who was similarly impaired. After a few minutes, the beans managed to repair most of their injuries, and they pulled themselves up from the floor of the training room, one hundred gees of gravitational force bearing down upon them before Piccolo switched off the generator with telekinesis, restoring normal gravity within the chamber. Goku sighed deeply as he took in the latest results of his training.

"Man! With all of that exertion, I was worried the room was going to crush me!" he said, to which Piccolo nodded wearily.

"Indeed. It gave me some trouble as well."

"Well, what do you say? Wanna keep at it?"

Piccolo shook his head. "We should take a day to rest and recover our energy more completely by the time we arrive. We can conserve Senzu beans for the others that way."

Goku nodded, acknowledging the point, before he felt a familiar sensation in his head.

" _Hello again, my pupil."_

"Master!" Goku called out to himself happily, in order to indicate who he was speaking to. Piccolo nodded and moved towards the living quarters, intent upon getting some rest, while also somewhat annoyed at the power he felt from Goku.

" _I take it the training's gone well?"_

" _Yup! We're taking a break until we get to Namek, though! How about you?"_

" _Well, fortunately it didn't take me too long to catch that damn monkey, so I've been spending the last few days working on the Kaio-ken."_

" _Any progress?"_

" _Well...I think I understand the concept. It's similar to the Max Power technique, albeit without the same increase in mass. But even still, actually getting it to work has been tricky. I'd probably need a couple months to get it all down, minimum."_

Goku nodded thoughtfully. " _Do you want us to hold off on reviving you until then?"_

" _If you don't mind. Since I don't have my body up here, reviving me would just put me right back wherever you guys are keeping me."_

Goku nodded. " _I'll be sure to tell them. What about Chiaotzu?"_

" _Well, he definitely wants to keep training, but he also wants to see Tien and Launch again ever since King Kai told us Tien had recovered."_

" _Got it. So we should revive him immediately?"_

" _I believe he'd like that, yes."_

Goku nodded again. " _Well, I should probably start resting. Anything else I can do for you guys?"_

" _We're doing fine up here, but, uh...if you don't mind staying on for a minute, I figured it might do you well to know a certain 'party trick' of mine for your journey."_

Goku's face brightened up. " _Are you going to teach me how to read minds?!"_

" _Nah, that one's a lot more complicated. Just pulling up memories should be simple enough to teach."_

" _I feel the need to point out that my telepathic powers are not some intergalactic calling service,"_ King Kai interrupted, his irritation evident. " _How long will this take?"_

" _With the aid of your powers, just a moment,"_ Roshi replied before a series of images flashed through Goku's mind, and he stepped back in shock.

" _Whoa...that was so cool! I think I can figure it out with all of this, though. Thanks, Master!"_

" _Don't mention it, son. Good luck_ ," Roshi replied before cutting off the communication, leaving Goku to ponder over the memories and experiences his master imparted upon him as the Capsule Ship flew ever closer to Namek.

* * *

Meanwhile, for the next three days following the rescue mission, not much in general changed on the planet itself. Guru's health continued to deteriorate, although Tsuno's own ancient medical knowledge helped mitigate his symptoms. Nail and the Earthlings were still stuck traveling at a fraction of their maximum speed as Vegeta struggled to sense their presence, and Frieza distracted himself with idle amusement as he waited for the Ginyu Force to arrive. During a holographic war-game with the now-derelict ship's computer, Frieza looked up and out the window of his observation deck to notice five meteors soaring through the green skies of Namek. His lips curled into a smirk as the pods crash-landed some distance away.

"Finally...they're here."

* * *

*Sigh*. And we're done.

Honestly, I have no shame in admitting that this was one of, if not the, hardest chapter for me to write thus far. I knew I needed to resolve the Bulma capture plot, and establish a few other details which will be relevant later, but accounting for all of that made a fairly short chapter, so...I added on. Hopefully it reads okay, but if not, don't worry-I trust the next chapter will begin to make up for it, with the arrival of...the Ginyu Force!

Anywho, yeah, stay tuned as we go back to some of the real DBZ action with one of the major fights of the arc. But without any further ado, comments:

Zeltch says:

"Nice chapter. The Freeza kidnapping Bulma is a novel concept, so props for that.

Oh, and I usually don't get involved in power level debates, but one of the interesting aspects of Guru's potential unlocking is that it isn't complete the second he lifts his hand. Krillin, by the end of Namek, is stated to have a 90000 power level (or 75000, I have to look it up the Daizenshu), and if I had to guess, the further enhancements are drawn from all the fighting he found himself in - pretty much like Gohan fighting Goku in Super. "

Thanks! Ironically enough, it kinda came about by a throwaway line in one of the DBZA episodes: "You know I never even SAW Freeza?! Not even once!" Plus the general fact that Bulma was basically irrelevant that entire arc.

Also, hm...yeah, the manga does seem to reference that, with Vegeta saying Krillin and Gohan were getting stronger. Not sure how high that goes, but based on this, it's definitely given me some things to think about power-wise.

Anonymous says:

"Wow. Poor Bulma captured huh. And I wonder what Vegeta will do once Frieza comes back to his ship.

I believe they should've simply used the dragon balls to transport all non evil people on the planet to Earth along with Goku and piccolo and saved themselves a lot of headache, trained in peace and then fought Frieza once ready.

Also, Goku and Vegeta never ever trained together in canon simply because Vegeta hated Goku's guts and didn't become a ssj till almost the androids had arrived. Goku trained with piccolo and Gohan making them stronger, and we'll a stronger base form stronger ssj form too plus he may have not been too worried considering he kind of outclassed future trunks by a margin and though he could take the androids. Piccolo during androids, pre fusion was probably around 50% frieza final form and post fusion probably double of an untrained ssj(Vegeta at the time was a pure untrained ssj, while Goku probably was slightly stronger). I really like the changes happening in the fic and would like to see the greater repurcussions it may bring. Also it'll be interesting seeing the mafuba on final form Frieza. Update soon"

Yeah, power levels beyond just a general scale get screwy after the Frieza Saga. I'm probably not going to bother with them, and just make it obvious who's stronger than who.

Regarding the plan, it could work(provided you were okay with good old Veggie almost certainly dying), but honestly, from a narrative perspective, I really don't want to have long time lapses in this fic any more than the source material dictates. Frieza would find his way to Earth sooner or later, but it would still represent a fairly sizable pause.

Anywho, glad you're liking the fic so far!

Guest says:

"God knows how a number that low is reasonable, remember saiyans get stronger alot quicker than namekians. Giving him a higher level helps keep him relevent, if you do have him match Goku and Vegeta what happens when they transform? It probably could've added to the story about him returning to namek with enough power to leave the namekians in awe, if done correctly. Somebody should have the namek saga about piccolo vs freiza, then have the saiyans start to peak around the android stuff. As long as its like this."

Eh, don't worry, I don't plan on making Piccolo irrelevant. If anything, fusing early helps by giving him far more potential for growth from the same training than he would've otherwise had prior to fusing with Nail. Plus, I've given some thought to him possibly picking up the Kaio-ken at some point. In any event, trust me-the Namekians will be impressed.

Geo Bong says:

"Good morning, I think this story is a swell one!" "It makes me happy too!" "Thank you very much for sharing this story so I can read it!" "Sincerely signed, Geo Bong over and out!"

Aww, thanks! Glad you liked it!

HighPriestYT says:

"A thought, occurs to me, Would it be possible to adapt anything from learning the kaioken to improve Max Power? or vice versa? the techniques due seem to have some overlap."

Yeah, I kinda alluded to that with this chapter-the two are similar enough that it likely won't take Roshi as long as it took Goku to get it down, given his experience with it. As for using that knowledge to improve Max Power, I'm not too sure. I know that, if you could get yourself to a point where you could handle combining the two, you'd become a lot more powerful. I mean, that's a 25% boost in overall power, magnified through levels of the kaio-ken. You could basically turn a Kaio-ken Times Twenty into Times Twenty-Five with that. Given that Roshi will be learning the technique, I'll have to consider that question for the future.

T-Biggz says:

"Since Goku was assumed to have a power level of 60,000 when he arrived at planet Namek in canon after training in space on his own and easily dominated the Ginyu force I'm going to assume that both he and Piccolo have a power level of around 90,000 due to both being fairly strong prior to leaving and having someone to further push the other in their continued training.  
If Vegeta's Zenkai boots puts him in the same ball park as Nail, or even above it then he shouldn't have any trouble taking on the Ginyu Force.  
Although how you intend to finish the Namek Saga with Earth's Dragon Balls effectively Dead is a scenario I hope you can successfully answer."

? I could've sworn Goku's base power level was 90k when fighting Ginyu, which he hiked up to 180k with Kaio-ken x 2. I based my estimates of their final power levels on that assumption, which is what I've generally seen in videos by guys like Masakox. All I can say is their base will be a fair bit stronger than that. Also, I treated Vegeta's zenkai boost here as being similar to the one he got from Recoome, which put him fighting on par with 1st Form Frieza, if I interpreted that scene right, so I figured it'd be the same here. I know some sources put him at 250k, but it seems odd Frieza would be forced to struggle so against power less than half his own, or that Vegeta would be so confident he could face him(I know he's Vegeta, but even he has limits).

As for that problem you mentioned, wait and see.

Anywho, power levels:

Vegeta(post-zenkai): Roughly 530,000

Guldo: 6,000

Jeice, Recoome, Burter: 42,000

Ginyu: 120,000

With all of that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.


	19. The Squadron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After days of travel, the Ginyu Force has arrived on Namek! These five powerful warriors represent the very best that Frieza's armies have to offer, and they have but one mission-obtain the Dragon Balls, by any means necessary! Will our heroes be able to triumph against these latest foes? Will Goku and Piccolo arrive in time to lend a hand? Or will they be assisted by an unexpected source? Find out now, on Hermit!

The crashed pods hissed open to allow their occupants the opportunity to leave once the effects of their long-term stasis wore off. First to emerge was, of course, the illustrious captain, who had to turn his head slightly in order to get his spikes around the hatch. Next came a far bulkier man, seeming to resemble an ordinary human save for his massive 7'7" frame, with orange hair and a long, chiseled face. After this, two figures emerged simultaneously, one slightly taller than the humanoid, blue skinned, and with a snake-like head and scales, and the other a mere 5'7", red skinned, and sporting a mane of white hair. Finally, the last to emerge was a fat, green skinned alien with an additional set of large eyes along the sides of his face, barely over a meter in height. All five were dressed in standard Frieza Force armor custom-fitted for them, with a unique insignia along the right breast of the uniform, and all save the green one wore green scouters across their eyes.

With a sneer, the purple, horned captain took off, leading his men into the sky as they flew to the roof of Frieza's nearby ship. Sitting in his hoverchair waiting to greet them was the man himself, looking quite pleased to see the elite warriors. The captain spared a look at the others before they engaged in their time-honored routine. The blue one and the orange-haired giant moved both of their arms in one direction, as if forming a giant V-shape if pressed together, while the red one and the green, four-eyed alien crouched down and lifted their hands into the air. Rounding out the pose in the center, the captain turned around and held out his hands behind him as he let his head peek through the opening between his legs. As each member executed their pose, they called out their respective names.

"Recoome!"

"Burter!"

"Jeice!"

"Guldo!"

"Ginyu!" the purple, horned alien finished before continuing, "And together we are..."

"THE GINYU FORCE!" they all cried out at once before assuming completely different poses, Ginyu kneeling down with his arms touching the ground while Guldo stood to his left, Recoome throwing his arm over the group rather than away, and Jeice and Burter off to Ginyu's right, Jeice raising his fist into the air while Burter posed similarly to a tree. Frieza watched the entire display with growing confusion before sighing to himself. Memories of some of Zarbon's antics came back to his mind, heightening his annoyance.

" _I always get the eccentrics,"_ he thought to himself, irritated, before clearing his throat and getting down to business. "Gentleman! Thank you so much for coming down to assist me in this enterprise! I understand you had been planning the mission to Yardrat for quite some time-"

"Oh, think nothing of it, Lord Frieza!" Ginyu replied amicably. "You're well aware of the pleasure it brings us to lend our humble services to you."

Frieza genuinely smiled for the first time in a while. "Yes, of course. Now, then...there have been some developments which you must be made aware of before proceeding..."

* * *

Elsewhere, Vegeta stood overlooking a barren field some distance away, sensing the new arrivals with interest.

"So...the Ginyu Force has arrived at last," he said with a chuckle. "Too bad I've already eclipsed all of them in sheer power! But, then again...they may be useful when it comes to ferreting out those Earthlings and their slug friend. Perhaps I'll let the lackeys seek them out, and leave Ginyu for myself."

With this, he powered up somewhat, being careful not to make it seem like his power was anywhere near Ginyu's, while also making it clear that he was too much for his subordinates.

"Heh. Hopefully that will lure him in...and leave him open to a rather unpleasant surprise," Vegeta said aloud before letting out a stream of maniacal laughter.

* * *

"Attention: twenty minutes to arrival on Namek."

The computer's automated warning-given in a female voice, as anyone familiar with Dr. Briefs would expect-caught Goku and Piccolo's attention, who had both been meditating for the past few hours as they rested from the past few days' training. Piccolo in particular looked somewhat haggard even as he recovered, yet endeavored not to let it show. Goku opened his eyes and stood up, stretching his arms and back muscles.

"Welp! Looks like this is it!" Goku said in his typical optimistic manner.

"Indeed," Piccolo replied simply.

"Whoa! I'm feeling a lot of really powerful ki down there!" Goku remarked as he stretched out his senses. Piccolo grunted, confirming he felt the same. "And I'm pretty sure at least one of those is Vegeta!" At this, Piccolo's attention was piqued, and he held a slight internal debate with himself before speaking up.

"Goku?"

"Yuh huh?"

"I have been meaning to discuss this with you, but concerning Vegeta, there is something of which you must be made aware."

"What is it?" Goku asked, cocking his head in confusion. Piccolo paused for a second before responding.

"It is evident that your goal upon encountering Vegeta again is to fight him, to test his mettle in combat against your own. Am I correct in this assumption?"

Goku nodded. "It looks like he's gotten pretty strong! Although, he's not showing too much power compared to us..."

"Indeed. But, I want you to know: if the opportunity presents itself...my goal is to kill him." Goku sat in silence for a second before he finished, "Do you object to this?"

Goku thought it over before finally answering, "...Nah. He and his buddy killed so many innocent people on Earth. Not to mention Chiaotzu and Master Roshi, and how they hurt Yamcha and Tien. Plus...I didn't sense the same thing fighting him that I did when I fought you. With you, I could detect at least a hint of goodness. You clearly weren't the same evil person your father was. But...with him..." Goku took a deep breath, cutting his thoughts off there. "Just...let me get a good fight out of him first, huh? It seems a waste to not see just how strong he's gotten. And, to tell you the truth...I'm kinda hoping I'm wrong here."

Piccolo nodded. "Very well."

With this, the two ended their conversation abruptly, sitting down and resting once more as their ship continued its approach towards Namek.

* * *

"-So in summary, Vegeta appears to have gotten significantly stronger, and either he or a group of aliens accompanied by a Saiyan child are likely in possession of my Dragon Balls," Frieza said, concluding the briefing. Ginyu and the others nodded in understanding.

"Well, tracking down either of them shouldn't be too difficult. Jeice?"

"On it, captain!" The red-skinned warrior replied, checking the readings on his scouter.

"Oh, speaking of which! Recoome?"

Recoome promptly took a briefcase out of Jeice's hands and handed it to Frieza. "Here ya go, boss-new scouters, fresh off the lot."

"Why, thank you, Recoome," Frieza replied, taking out a red one and placing it over his right eye. The group continued to wait patiently for Jeice's report before Jeice stepped back in shock.

"Ah, bloody hell!" he cried out in surprise. "There's a power of 60,000 not too far from here!"

"What?!" The other Ginyu Force members cried out, while Frieza simply growled angrily.

"Those aliens from before only managed to succeed in killing Dodoria as far as my knowledge goes, and I've encountered no Namekian with anywhere near that power. I think it's fair to surmise that Vegeta is out and about."

"B-but the reading only showed up a moment ago!" Jeice replied.

"And no Saiyan's even gotten near 60,000!" Burter added.

"The locals seem to be able to vary their battle power. I would wager that Vegeta has developed the same skill."

"Hm...then 60,000 may be just for starters. A demonstration to show how much stronger he is," Ginyu speculated.

"B-but how would he know  **our** battle powers?" Burter interjected.

"His scouter was destroyed," Frieza replied. "He shouldn't have any knowledge of your strength-I made sure that such knowledge was restricted only to my most trusted personnel. Unless...hm. Yes, that might explain some things."

"What is it, Lord Frieza?" Ginyu asked.

"The locals also seemed capable of sensing energy. It's possible that Vegeta has developed that skill as well."

Ginyu grimaced. "If these aliens of yours have also learned those skills from the Namekians, this hunt could be rather tricky."

"There is one saving grace," Frieza assured him. "There is a non-combatant among them-a female scientist with an abysmally low power level. I imagine it may be difficult, but isolating her signature will likely allow you to follow them."

"Jeice?" Ginyu asked.

"Already on it," Jeice replied, pausing for a moment before nodding. "Yup. Got her. Power level of 1, about...eh, ten, fifteen minutes out? Plus...oh, shite!"

"Yes?"

"A power of 42,000, boss! Same as any of us, right on top of her!" Jeice replied, gesturing to himself, Burter, and Recoome in panic. Ginyu thought to himself for a moment.

"Hm. Distressing. Lord Frieza, you say the aliens killed Dodoria?"

"That's correct. The attack evidently cleaved through him like a sword."

"Hm...well. Every one of you save Guldo are almost twice as strong as he was. Even if there is one equal to you three among them, the others shouldn't pose much of a threat. The four of you shall intercept them and obtain the location of Lord Frieza's Dragon Balls before they die, or secure the device with which they locate them, should it actually exist. As for me...I'll handle 'Prince' Vegeta myself."

"SIR YES SIR!" The other Ginyu Force members cried out, before Jeice took the lead.

"Ginyu Force..." he began, before the others finished along with him, "MOVE OUT!" With that, the four took off in the direction of the lower ki signatures, leaving only Ginyu and Frieza atop his wrecked ship. Ginyu took a deep breath before turning to his master hesitantly, which failed to go unnoticed by Frieza.

"Problem, captain?" he asked, partly out of concern, but mostly out of impatience.

"I'm just thinking, Lord Frieza...I worry that 60,000 may not even be close to what Vegeta has risen to at this point."

Frieza considered this before nodding. "Agreed. Based on the evidence, he seems to have utilized my newer model of medical machine while I was busy watching the girl. That would suggest he was critically wounded, and desperate enough that he'd take such a monumental risk as walking right onto my front doorstep."

Ginyu nodded in turn. "The Saiyan 'zenkai'...that was one of the reasons you were so concerned about them."

Frieza seemed annoyed at the suggestion he was concerned about anyone rising to surpass him, yet did not dismiss the point. "It seems to have given our dear monkey prince some rather unwelcome ideas about the proper order of things."

"Yes. However...I have to wonder whether it may yet be useful to us."

Frieza cocked his head in confusion. "Useful? How could it possibly be useful...oh. Oh! Ohohoho!" He laughed heartily. "What a splendid suggestion, captain! Yes, that would solidify my hold on the cosmos quite nicely! But...are you sure about taking such a step?"

Ginyu shrugged. "It is true that I am accustomed to this form, but if my assumption is right, Vegeta's body has the potential to be even greater. And of course, any opportunity to more effectively serve you is a welcome one, Lord Frieza."

"Hm...I do not wish to have any subjects  **too** close to me in terms of power. And I've grown rather accustomed to dealing with my subjects in  **this** form," Frieza mused. "But then again, perhaps I should allow myself the chance to show off a much larger helping of my true power."

"But of course, sir! All the better for dissuading other fools from following in Vegeta's footsteps!"

"My thoughts exactly, captain," Frieza replied, smiling. "Now then, you may execute your plan at your leisure."

"Certainly, sir!" he replied before doing one more of his token poses and taking off in Vegeta's direction.

" _Well, Prince, you have earned my respect for managing to become so powerful on your own. I wonder...hm. It_ is  _a possibility. But enough about that. In any event, whether or not you are truly stronger than me...I promise you an honorable end."_

* * *

Several minutes prior, Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan sat exhausted, eating a small meal of heated rations with the help of a cooking pot capsule Bulma happened to have on her. Nail, not requiring any nourishment, simply ate one of the packs in order to absorb some residual moisture, there being no hydrangea plants nearby to provide him with safe water. Suddenly, however, Nail became aware of a most troubling sensation, and started suddenly to the surprise of everyone else.

"What's going on?" Gohan asked. Nail turned to face him and the others as he responded.

"Five powerful ki signatures have just awoken. I believe they are this 'Ginyu Force' Frieza spoke of."

Surprised, Gohan and Krillin reached out, and quickly felt them as well.

"Oh, crap!" Krillin cried out in terror, to which Nail nodded. "Three of them are as strong as you!"

"Perhaps slightly less, but against all three, I stand no chance," Nail remarked, somewhat bitterly yet resigned to the facts. "Fortunately, you could dispatch one of them easily, but their leader..."

"He's on a whole other level," Gohan finished, terrified.

"Plus, with their scouters, they may be able to pick us up using Bulma's signature even if we bring ourselves down to zero!" Krillin added, equally scared.

"Okay, so, what's the plan?" Bulma asked, panicking herself. "...There is a plan, right?"

"Yes. Grab on," Nail replied simply, swiftly picking up Krillin, Gohan, and Bulma in both arms and taking off at full speed towards Guru's.

"THIS IS YOUR PLAN?!" Bulma shouted angrily as they continued to soar through the sky.

"Yes. If we hurry, we may use the Dragon Balls to our advantage after all," Nail replied calmly.

"Oh! What if we used one of the wishes to bring Piccolo and daddy directly here?" Gohan asked, to which Nail nodded.

"My plan exactly. Now, do not let go!"

Over the next ten minutes, Nail soared past the landscape as he carried the three of them along. When they finally made it to Guru's home, Nail quickly let them go, at which point they all hurried towards the lift and into Guru's chamber. Nail, Krillin, and Gohan met the frantic questions posed to them by the Namekians, before they were silenced by Guru.

"We must not let panic interfere with our judgement, my children," he began. "Now, gather the Dragon Balls and take them outside, quickly!"

As several Namekians scrambled to fetch the balls and take them out to the grassy courtyard, Yamcha met Bulma with a fierce embrace, which seemed to surprise her. After a few seconds, he broke away and began to speak, stuttering over his words.

"God, I just-as soon as I sensed what had happened, it took everything I had not to fly off and try to save you right then and there!"

Bulma chuckled somewhat awkwardly. "Yeah, as romantic as it would've been for you to do that, I generally prefer my men to be... **alive**. You know, as a rule." After a few seconds of continued chuckling, her face grew somewhat more somber. "Listen, Yamcha..." She began, before Yamcha spoke abruptly once more.

"I know, but like, even still, it was just so frustrating I felt so bad about it and I wished that I'd managed to get stronger than I was somehow so I could actually go in there and do something-"

"Yamcha...I-"

"Ah, babe, I'm just glad you're okay I don't know what I would've done if anything had happened to you you're just so important to me and-"

"Yamcha!" she said more forcefully, causing him to take pause.

"What?" he asked, looking at her with such concern that she wondered if perhaps she was making the right decision after all. Nevertheless, she gulped and pressed on.

"Yamcha...I'm breaking up with you."

Yamcha's eyes widened, while the other Namekians not busy gathering the balls just paused, confused. Yamcha finally managed to get out, "W-what? But-"

"Look, it's been in my head for a while, and let's just say I had a lot of time to think about my life," Bulma began before sighing, remorse evident in her tone. "In the end, I just don't think...whatever we've had for the last twelve years is really all that stable or healthy for either of us. I think...we were both at a point in our lives where we thought we  **needed** to be in a relationship. We both needed...something, and we had no idea how else to get it."

Yamcha nodded slowly, understanding her reasoning, yet still finding himself confused as Bulma continued. "And I think that, when neither of us could manage this through the power of a magical wish through a giant dragon-you know, like normal human beings," she cut in with biting sarcasm before continuing, "we more or less drifted to each other out of convenience. Even after multiple break-ups and misunderstandings and whatnot, the thought of not having that relationship was worse than being in the relationship. So, we've just...kept going. We haven't gotten any closer-hell, we've been separated for months at a time! And we just...didn't really care. I don't know if we had something and it just died horribly, or if we never had anything to begin with...but at this point, I think it would be better for both of us to just...stop."

Yamcha took a deep breath, processing everything, while Bulma hastily moved to comfort him. "Yamcha, you're the sweetest guy I've ever met, and I'm sorry for the role I played in dragging this out. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful boyfriend for somebody else someday. Sorry for springing all of this on you at once, but I've been holding it in for like two days without knowing how to say it, and it seems increasingly likely that we're all going to die soon with no hope of revival, so...yeah. Sorry, again."

As Bulma finished her thought awkwardly, Krillin, Gohan, and especially Yamcha all stared at her unblinking. Still struggling to process everything, Yamcha was silent, prompting Krillin to eventually reply candidly, "Wow, that was...remarkably mature of you." Bulma turned towards him, some of her usual anger back in full force, before sighing to herself and accepting the barbed compliment.

"We're ready, Lord Guru!" one of the Namekians cried out from outside, catching everyone's attention. Bulma and the others hurried outside, Yamcha lagging behind as his brain continued spinning.

"You all are certain of the wishes you want to ask for?" the Namekian in front of the balls asked plainly. Krillin nodded.

"Just bring the ones known as Piccolo and Goku to this very spot. We'll work out the other two later."

"Understood." With that, the Namekian took a deep breath and began to recite an incantation in Namekian. "[Rise, Porunga, God of-!] ACK!" The man found himself interrupted as a purple ki blast collided with his body, burning him completely, to everyone's shock. Krillin looked up to trace the source of the blast, only to find four figures floating in the sky a fair distance away, three of whom boasted incredible power rivaling that of Nail's. Recoome's hand showed slight traces of smoke, indicating it was he who did the deed.

"Aw, damn it all! If we'd gotten here as late as we might have, they would've had those Dragon Balls activated!" Jeice exclaimed.

"Couldn't catch what he was saying before Recoome fried him," Burter stated. "Maybe there's some kind of code? One that only Namekians know?"

"That definitely complicates things," Jeice agreed.

"Well, it's a good thing we arrived when we did. Extending my field around others is even more draining," Guldo remarked, annoyed. "I'm not sure how much more of my time stopping I can pull off."

"Relax, buddy! All we need to do is get them away from the little slugs!" Recoome encouraged his teammate.

"Speaking of which..." Burter pointed out, gesturing towards the Namekian civilians and Bulma retreating towards the structure, while the Namekian warriors, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, and Nail stood in a ring around the Dragon Balls. Sighing, the Ginyu Force quickly flew down to meet the group on the ground.

"G'day, gentlemen! How's it going?" Jeice began cordially. "Now, our orders were to kill all of you lot and take your gizmo so we'd find out where the Dragon Balls were, but, heh! Wouldn't you know it-here they are, right in front of our faces! So obviously, that has prompted some slight alterations to the plan. Guldo?"

Before any of them could blink, the Dragon Balls had been taken away from where they were resting and had been tossed across the nearby field below haphazardly. Guldo stood sweating somewhat, yet still grinning in triumph. The warriors looked over to the Ginyu Force with uncertainty etched across their features, preparing themselves for combat.

"Splendid! Now you blokes won't be able to get any unfair advantages over us!" Jeice remarked with a grin. "All that's left now is to divvy up the bastards."

"I call dibs on the slug!" Recoome bellowed. "I wanna see just how one of them got just as strong as any of us!"

"Hey, hey, now, easy! There'll be no calling of dibs as long as I'm heading up the mission!" Jeice retorted. "The three of us who actually stand a chance will play Roshambo for the match, while the aliens are divided up among the remaining three. That sound good?"

"What about the other Namekians?" Guldo asked. Jeice simply scoffed.

"Ah, them? We'll mop them up as soon as we're done with these blokes, provided they don't run themselves up against our fists. I mean, seriously, even  **you** could solo them no sweat, Guldo."

Guldo bristled at the backhanded compliment, yet acknowledged the point-their pitiful power levels would see them dusted in a matter of minutes were he to meet them in combat.

"The aliens who attacked Dodoria seem to match the description of those two," Burter said, pointing to Gohan and Krillin. "Bald midget, Saiyan toddler with a bowl cut." Krillin and Gohan both bristled at the descriptions.

"But which one killed him?" Guldo asked, to the others' confusion.

"Well, it's gotta be the bald one, you dumb bloke!" Jeice snapped back. "You think a child of five is going to murder someone in cold blood?"

"It  **is** a Saiyan squirt we're talkin' about here. Those little monkeys are beasts," Recoome pointed out.

"Plus, I heard a rumor that Lord Frieza killed one of King Cold's subjects when he was that age," Guldo said defensively.

"Nah, mates, it wasn't the kid."

"Eh...could be the guy with the robot hand," Burter said. "I mean, it's a  **robot**.  **Hand**. If that doesn't say hardcore, I don't know what does."

Yamcha, his thoughts still somewhat scattered, blinked at the compliment, while Jeice and Guldo acknowledged the point.

"Or it says he got his arm taken off because he was a weak little pansy," Recoome replied, to Yamcha's chagrin. "Seriously, look at him! The boy's shaking in his boots!"

"Look, fellas, are we gonna play, or are we gonna keep arguing while the blokes stare at us like Zeytellan Weevils in headlights?" Jeice asked the group, who promptly held out their hands while Guldo sat out. After a few rounds of play as the other warriors looked on in confusion, Recoome at last emerged the winner.

"YES!" Recoome cried out in triumph before jerking his thumb towards Nail. "Listen up, sluggo! You best prepare yourself for the gruesome end of your miserable life! Why?! Because the name's RECOOME! And it rhymes with DOOM! And YOU'RE gonna be hurtin'! ALL! TOO! SOON!" During this proclamation, he moved around in several extravagant poses before finally settling on a classic flex, thrusting his arms towards his midriff and allowing his muscles to bulge.

Nail watched the display impassively before finally saying "...Very well," in a voice completely devoid of all emotion. The other Ginyu Force members snickered at his deadpan response to Recoome's antics, while Recoome himself seemed to deflate slightly. Jeice quickly regained his composure.

"Alright then, now for the rest of you lot!" Jeice proclaimed, meeting up with Burter and Guldo for another few rounds of Roshambo. When the game was concluded, they moved away and back to their original positions, facing their new opponents.

"Come on, short stack! Show me what you got, huh?!" Jeice taunted Krillin, who simply gulped nervously.

"Sweet! Got the guy with the robot hand!" Burter added on, excited at the prospect of a good fight. Yamcha had significantly more mixed feelings.

"Tch. Of  **course** I end up with the toddler," Guldo said indignantly, yet nonetheless secure that the fight would at least end well for him.

Just as the group began to brace themselves for their coming confrontations, however, an idea struck Gohan, who, like the others, had been hoping for Piccolo and Goku's ship to be landing soon. Given how much this group seemed to view their missions as a game, one logical question still remained to be asked.

"Who goes first?" Gohan asked plainly, to everyone's confusion. Jeice was the first to speak up after several seconds of silence.

"I, agh, uh...h-huh?"

"Well, you just did Roshambo matches to figure out who's fighting who, right?" Gohan asked. His allies still looked on confused, while Jeice responded.

"Yeah...?"

"So...who goes first? Or, is it more of a group confrontation-you all come at us at once and can help out in each other's fights and all that?"

"W-what?! Of course not! If everyone could just tag on all of you lot, what would be the point of picking who we fight in the first place? Besides, having to have your mates tag the bloke you're fighting is totally weak!"

"So, you run through each fight one by one?"

"Yeah! But...uh...we don't really decide on an order, though. We kinda just...wing it," Jeice said, somewhat sheepishly.

Gohan scoffed in carefully practiced indignation. "Oh, well, that just won't do at all! No, there's gotta be a structure here! You can't just play a game and expect to make up the rules on the spot! That's just...moronic!"

By this time, Krillin and the others had caught on to the fact that Gohan was buying them time for Goku and Piccolo to show up. They prayed that the young child's scheme would give them the few precious minutes that would make all the difference. Jeice's brow furrowed as he considered the boy's words, and it was obvious his fellow Ginyu Force members had taken pause as well. As they all glanced at each other, the four of them promptly hovered closer together before touching down and getting into a huddle, speaking softly to each other. Only Nail and the other Namekians could decipher what they were saying.

"Blimey, the kid's got a point," Jeice admitted to his men, who nodded in agreement.

"Have to agree," Burter said.

"Squirt's got a good head on his shoulders," Recoome acknowledged.

"So, what are we going to do, then?" Guldo asked.

"Well, if we're gonna have a proper go at it, we need to set up some actual rules!" Jeice decided.

The group then engaged in a brief discussion over what the actual rules would be. After a minute of this, one of the Namekians attempted to fly towards the far-off Dragon Balls, only for Burter to fly to him, stop him in his tracks, and pitch him into Guru's wall before returning to the huddle. After that, nobody bothered to go towards the balls, deciding to wait the eccentric fighters' decision out while the other Namekian warriors retreated to check on their comrade. Eventually, the group did one last, quick series of Roshambo matches, before breaking their huddle and turning to face Gohan and the others.

"Alright then!" Burter began, with an air of authority. "The rules of this engagement shall be as follows: each of you shall face your combatant at your assigned turn. Combatants shall only be eliminated if they are killed or wounded to the point of being physically unable to continue. Should either party's allies spring in to help, said allies are considered fair game by the current opposing combatant. Should the current opposing combatant be eliminated, the original combatant shall remove themselves from the fight, whereupon any interfering member or members' combatant or combatants will take the field in the priority dictated by the original order. If an interfering member should no longer have a combatant, on account of them being eliminated in a previous match, their designated combatant is the first opposing combatant who also does not have a combatant on account of elimination, up to and including the member interfered with. This cycle shall continue until every member of one team or the other is eliminated, by which point those who are not dead shall be disposed of as the victors see fit."

Burter paused as everyone looked towards him, before finishing his statement. "Any questions?" He addressed both parties, who all shook their heads, Krillin and the others somewhat awestruck by the detail of the rules they put together.

"Jolly good!" Jeice said jubilantly, before frowning slightly. "You know, in retrospect, there ain't a whole lotta room to fight here, huh? What say we move a little ways?"

Nail and the others nodded, and all of them floated off of Guru's plateau and down to flat ground near where the Dragon Balls had landed.

"Alright! Guldo, step on up!" Jeice said, clapping Guldo on the shoulder as he did so. He simply grumbled.

"Let's just get this over with," he said indignantly. "Of course I have to be stuck with some weak little monkey kid."

Nail, Krillin, and Yamcha all exchanged conspiratorial glances before Krillin looked at Gohan with a smirk. Gohan looked back, somewhat anxious at being placed into an actual combat situation once more, yet still confident based on what he was sensing of Guldo's ki. He nodded at Krillin before turning around and looking Guldo dead in all four of his eyes. Guldo, however, simply sat there confused as to why he wasn't moving.

"You, uh, you gonna start, kid?" he asked, both puzzled and impatient. "Or do I have to, like, try to kill you or something?"

Gohan, however, simply chuckled, surprising the Ginyu Force and leaving his allies amused at what would soon take place.

"Green means go," he said cryptically, with a smirk on his face, only confusing Guldo even more.

"Okay, see, I don't know whether that means you're about to start, or if you're just-"

Gohan powered up with as mighty a battle cry as his high pitched voice could muster, sending out a kiai which shook Guldo and the nearby Namekians, and surprised the other Ginyu Force members.

"Oi! The kid's power is still rising! 12,000...14,000...16,000...18,000!" Jeice cried out, incredulous as the numbers continued to rise.

"From a  **toddler**?!" Burter added, equally shocked.

Guldo felt true fear as he looked into Gohan's eyes and saw something he had seen many times on many missions, but never paid much attention to until now: the cold, calculating gaze of a warrior. Only this time, unlike all of those prior missions, said warrior could easily pound him into dust.

As Gohan flew straight towards him, Guldo let out a cry of fright and only barely managed to ensnare the boy into his telekinetic grasp, casting the immediate area around him in a field of green telekinetic energy. In that one stroke, Gohan's grasp over his ki faltered, and he was left virtually helpless, unable to move no matter how much he struggled. Guldo sat on the ground panicking before he began to chuckle with relief and satisfaction, his mirth growing in intensity the longer he saw Gohan struggled against his trap.

"Ha! You may be tough, child, but my telekinetic powers have laid to rest some of the strongest warriors in the universe! Why else would I be a proud member of the illustrious Ginyu Force? Now..." he said, chuckling as he pulled up a tree and pointed its jagged trunk at the defenseless child. "Prepare to be skewered, you insolent whelp!"

As Gohan continued to struggle, Yamcha and the others watched the situation with apprehension, with Yamcha ultimately being the one to act, kneeling down towards the ground and charging up a ball of ki in his left arm. With a few quick hand gestures, the ball burrowed through the ground until the space directly beneath Guldo began to rumble, catching the attention of the Ginyu Force far too late.

"What the-?" Guldo asked before the ball slammed into his chest from below, the sheer force of its power dragging him into the sky along with it and breaking his telekinetic hold, giving Gohan enough time to fly clear of the area. Before Guldo could fully muster the ki required to repel it, panicking all the while, it was already glowing white hot, and he realized too late that it was about to explode. With one last cry of terror, the ball detonated, vaporizing Guldo in a massive yellow explosion. Yamcha stood with his fist clenched, barely having broken a sweat, as he marveled at his handiwork.

"Damn...that's becoming my best move," he remarked aloud with a slight chuckle.

Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force looked up in shock as the smoke cleared, revealing no trace of their former comrade.

"Oh, SHITE!" Jeice cried out, horrified at the sight before him. "Oh my stars my first time heading up a mission and one of the blokes dies oh stars oh no why did this have to happen-!"

"Hey, hey, Jei, come on now, just take a deep breath,  **relax**. Everything's going to be fine," Burter consoled the red alien.

"None of us ever got axed on one of the captain's assignments!"

"Yeah, well, this is the first one in a while where the guys we were fighting were this strong!" Recoome added, consoling in his own way.

"It's a dangerous job. Stuff happens. We knew that going in, yet we signed up anyway. What's important is that we get the job done, huh? Huh?!" Burter said, trying to reason with his friend. Jeice took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Y-yeah. Yeah, you're right," Jeice said, some of his confidence returning before he paled again. "You, uh, you go kill the bastard, huh, Burt? I need to, uh...draft my report to the captain." With that, he largely withdrew from proceedings, thinking through how he was going to explain the situation to Ginyu after he'd eliminated Vegeta. Burter, however, cracked his knuckles as Gohan withdrew and Yamcha anxiously stepped up to the plate, entering into the stance of his Wolf Fang Fist technique.

" _Got no chance against this guy in a straight fight. Going to have to see if I can't make use of misdirection to-"_ Before Yamcha could even finalize the thought he had about his battle plan, Burter vanished from sight before reappearing behind him, hitting him with a backhand that sent him flying across the plain. No sooner had he gotten his bearings and stopped himself in midair, powering up fully as he did so, than Burter appeared next to him again, this time kicking him into the ground.

"Ah, seriously?" Burter said, his disappointment evident. "Come on, robot hand guy! You looked so badass before!" Yamcha, desperate and slightly irritated, charged towards him with a Wolf Fang Fist. To his horror, both of his hands seemed to show minor damage simply from making contact with the large blue alien. Burter made what passed for a tsk sound, given his snake-like tongue.

"This is just sad," he remarked before abruptly punching Yamcha in the stomach, winding him as he grabbed him by the throat. Rather than making any real effort to choke him out, however, Burter instead looked intently at the robot hand before focusing his ki into his arm and slicing through the connection between Yamcha and the hand almost perfectly. With nothing left but an open, bleeding wound where his mostly healed stump had been before, Yamcha was dropped to the ground unceremoniously as Burter picked the hand up and examined it further.

"Hm. Altogether, not the worst craftsmanship I've seen with something like this. Definitely looks cool. But, in the end, it's just so...flimsy," he said coldly before grabbing it from both ends and crushing it between his hands, causing parts of it to break off and warping it beyond all recognition. Yamcha looked up out of breath at the cold, red eyes of his adversary, while the snake man tossed the scrap metal to the side.

"Fitting, isn't it?" Burter remarked, grinning sadistically as ki continued to flow throughout his body, preparing for the killing stroke. However, no sooner had he done so than he distinctly heard a high pitched whine from something sharp hissing through the air.

"BURTER WATCH OUT-!" Jeice cried out as he saw Krillin's Kienzan flying towards him, but Burter had already managed to leap out of the way, escaping with only minor damage to his right arm. The disc then came sailing towards Recoome and Jeice, who easily leaped out of the way as well. Krillin stood there in shock as the attack continued to fly off into the distance, while Jeice and Recoome were equally terrified at the destruction it left in its wake.

"...Okay, so the bald one killed Dodoria," Recoome said, apprehension in his voice.

"Yup!" Jeice replied, considerably more terrified.

Burter, meanwhile, hissed in anger at the damage he sustained, and before Krillin could react, he was already upon him, kicking him savagely into the dirt. Krillin was sent flying, landing with a hard thud and discovering to his horror that he was too wounded to even stand. Satisfied that he was no longer a threat, Burter flew back to Yamcha, charging up ki into his fist before readying himself to bring it down. Before he could land the blow, he turned his head towards where he heard the high-pitched cry of rage coming from behind him, and promptly punched Gohan away. Gohan steadied himself in the air, growling with fury, while Yamcha struggled to lift himself up.

"You know, you're not half bad, squirt," Burter consoled the kid as he took a few steps forward. "But if you think you can tangle with the fastest in the universe, you've got another thing coming!"

Gohan simply kept growling in anger, but Yamcha, struggling to remain conscious, spoke up from behind Burter. "Wait, fastest...in the universe?"

"Damn straight!" Burter called out, not turning away from the half-Saiyan.

"But...isn't your boss, like...way stronger than you?"

Jeice and Recoome were too far away to make out what Yamcha was saying, but they did see Burter tense up slightly.

"W-well, yeah, but that's-"

"Not to mention Frieza's...on a whole other level from him."

"Okay,  **that's** just not fair!"

"And based on what I've been sensing from Vegeta-"

"SHUT UP!" Burter cried out in anger as he turned around and brought his fist down upon Yamcha, causing him to cry out in pain. Burter readied another, stronger blow, but was too angry to pay attention to Gohan this time, whose fairly silent flight allowed him to kick Burter in the head, knocking him backwards.

"MASENKO..."

Burter managed to steady himself from the previous blow mere seconds before Gohan flew up in front of his face, hands above his head as he continued charging.

" **HAAAA**!"

The blast hit the snake-like alien directly in the face, sending him stumbling backwards onto the ground. Before Gohan could follow up with another attack, however, Burter intercepted his fist, crushing it with little effort before using the grip to throw Gohan into the dirt. With some effort, Gohan got back up onto his feet, blood trickling onto the dirt from his shattered hand.

"Man, you Saiyans are tough little monkeys, huh?" Burter said, chuckling as he walked towards the child. Gohan, however, clenched his other fist as he stood his ground.

"As...long as I'm still standing...you won't hurt anyone else," he said, his previous anger cooling into a quieter fury. Burter considered his words for a moment as Gohan rushed towards him with all the power he could muster. Burter easily dodged the charge, before landing a devastating kick to the boy's neck, leaving it broken. Unable to speak, unable to move, and barely able to breathe, Gohan simply dropped onto the ground, clinging to life. Burter simply chuckled.

"Well...now you ain't standing."

* * *

And done! Getting back into the swing of things with a full on fight between Earth's defenders and the Ginyu Force! Can Nail beat the odds and triumph over these three equal foes? Will Goku and Piccolo arrive in time? And just how will the battle between Vegeta and Ginyu play out? Find out next time on Dragon Ball-uh, Hermit! Yeah!

Anyway, let's go over some responses real quick.

T-Biggz says:

"I was just referring to the information from the Wiki in regards to power levels. That's what I meant by Goku's power level when facing the Ginyu force. I don't remember if they actually gave him a set power level after he arrived that's why I said at least. The reason Vegeta's power level was as high as it was was due to him being able to sense Ki and Frieza was so close to him in his first form while he was resting. At least that's my head-cannon for this story. Even if Nail was the one he was supposed to be getting the Zenkai boot from. But whatever."

When I read through the manga way back when, it had Ginyu guessing his power level as they fought, and as Goku unleashed more of it. Ginyu pegs him for 60,000 and then 85,000 by the end of their fight. Goku uses the Kaio-ken to boost his power to 180,000, giving Ginyu the incentive to swap bodies. Now, from that, I interpreted his max base power level as being 90,000, and to my recollection, the wiki's list of power levels is with me on that, putting him at 90,000. Using that estimate, I made my own interpretation as to how much having a partner along to give him boosts and spar with would help him, and went from there. You'll see that later.

As for Vegeta, yeah, I think that's the general consensus for how he got so strong in canon. Here, he sensed Frieza's ki, being so close to him in the pod, and adjusted to that off of Recoome's boost. Idk if Toriyama originally intended for him to get that much of a boost in canon, given that Vegeta was apparently fearful of Ginyu's power for a bit, but regardless, him fighting evenly with Frieza in his first form supports him becoming that powerful.

Anonymous says:

"I was sure goku was 180K on namek. But anyway. Training with a person almost equal to him would boost his power way above canon. Also Vegeta being that powerful is kinda inconsistent. I mean he was scared of fighting ginyu, but suddenly was confident of fighting Frieza. It also means he would be able to steamroll through the ginyu's without any problem alone this time around. I am guess captain ginyu will try to take Goku's body again and considering he'll be already stronger than canon, Gohan and krillin will be hard pressed to stop ginyu in Goku's body. I wonder if piccolo will fuse with nail also. Update soon"

Yeah, Goku at Kaio-ken x 2 was 180k. The power up he does clearly illustrates him using the Kaio-ken, and Ginyu was estimating his base power to be near 90,000.

And yeah, I recognize that inconsistency, but I think that might've been a goof on Toriyama's part more than anything else. He needed somebody fighting Frieza to be strong enough to give Frieza incentive to transform, and the whole thing has more weight to it if it's Vegeta with that level of power. He's so close to killing the man who killed his entire race and has held him under his heel all his life, yet he discovers what he's facing isn't even a fraction of his true strength...two separate times. Vegeta has a rough time on Namek.

As for Piccolo fusing with Nail, stay tuned on what happens with that.

Guest says:

"Any chance Piccolo will fuse with Guru? Or get his potential unlocked as he could get a massive increase either way."

Funnily enough...I thought about it. I thought that Kami, connecting with Guru's similar circumstances, would offer to fuse with him to preserve his essence. I also thought about having Tsuno fuse with Guru in order to directly inherit his wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as have him around to offer advice. But, personally, I figured that Guru would reject these offers. He has no desire to live forever, and he has a whole other family of fallen kin that he'd no doubt like to see again. Moreover, he's of the belief that he's done what he was meant to do, and that it is the responsibility of his children to carry on his legacy, rather than be tied down by it. So, ultimately, I think Guru would reject any offers to fuse with him, and allow himself to die.

As for the potential...wait and see.

Anyway, power levels!

Yamcha: 11,000

Krillin: 13,000

Gohan: 18,000

Gohan(rage boosted): 23,000

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have a fantastic night, and take care!

[5/26/19]: Alright, slight retcon here and in Chapter 19 regarding Yamcha's arm. I'd been operating on the assumption that a Senzu bean could regenerate lost limbs, which some reviewers believed not to be the case. Upon investigating the matter, I found that they could indeed regenerate lost limbs...if the wounds were fresh. The stump on Yamcha's arm was very much not fresh-it had been healed over already, and thus couldn't burst forth a new arm after he ate a Senzu bean. So, my reasoning here with this retcon is that, with the wound freshly opened, the healing properties of the Senzu bean would strive to restore the body to its ideal condition-which, in this case, means two arms. So, here we are. My apologies for screwing up on this detail regarding the Senzu beans-they seem to be a subject that I need help with as far as accuracy goes. In any event, I'm hopeful that this will resolve that particular problem with my depiction of the abilities of the Senzu beans. Thank you all for understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S.: If you've been liking this fic so far, feel free to check out my other DBZ fic, Forgotten Son! I just published the two chapters I've done so far. If you're interested, you can find it here!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/18457925/chapters/43729745


	20. The Reinforcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are not going well for the warriors left on Namek. Although Guldo was easily dispatched, Burter has proven far too powerful for the Earthlings to face, and in a brutal assault, only Nail is left standing to oppose Burter, Jeice, and Recoome, all roughly around his own power level. Will Nail be able to last long enough against the Ginyu Force for Goku and Piccolo to arrive, or will the two land only to meet a pile of corpses? Will Frieza ultimately steal the Dragon Balls away from our heroes' grasp? And just how does Ginyu's plans for Vegeta fit into this? Find out right now in Hermit!

Just as his men intercepted Nail and the other warriors, Captain Ginyu arrived at the source of the sudden power reading, finding a sight he'd hardly expected. Rather than springing to action at the sight of him, or upon sensing his approach, Vegeta simply sat reclined against a nearby rock, as if he was annoyed at Ginyu for arriving late. The gesture intrigued Ginyu, and he couldn't tell if Vegeta was confident purely out of arrogance or because he knew that he was stronger.

"Prince," he began cordially.

"Bootlicker," Vegeta replied.

Ginyu chuckled. "The insult would be more effective if Lord Frieza actually wore boots."

Vegeta chuckled in turn. "So you'd prefer 'toe-licker' then?"

Ginyu stood silently for a moment, regretting his comeback immensely. "...Look, Vegeta, I think we both know what's about to happen here."

"I disagree. I think you're convinced that I'm about to die, and I'm convinced that I'm about to kill you."

Ginyu smirked. "Confident, are we? Have you truly gained such formidable strength? Or are you simply delusional?"

"Are you certain you want to test either assumption?"

"Hmph. I have been given a mission by my master. And I've never left a mission incomplete." With this, he tossed his scouter to the ground and powered up to the full extent of his power. "Now...show me the power you have reached, Vegeta!"

Vegeta smirked. "They call this assisted suicide, you know..." he said ominously, before complying with Ginyu's request. Ginyu witnessed the display as Vegeta powered up, disrupting the ground nearby and almost causing his scouter to fall and crack had he not saved it in time with telekinesis. Satisfied, he set the scouter down again before flying straight towards Vegeta, fist outstretched and preparing to strike him with all of his power.

He stopped dead in his tracks the moment Vegeta blocked his punch with a single hand, creating a gust of wind that could be felt for miles. As Ginyu realized the sheer gulf in their powers, Vegeta's lips curled into a sadistic grin as he crushed the purple warrior's fist in his own. While Ginyu repressed his scream of agony, Vegeta threw the warrior upward with one arm. Without hesitation, Vegeta began appearing and reappearing throughout the sky, knocking Ginyu around like a pinball and causing severe damage to many bones throughout his body. When he was finished with the onslaught to his satisfaction, he met Ginyu, currently flying sideways through the sky, with a downward kick which sent him crashing into the ground.

Ginyu felt every part of his body going numb from the pain, and he was left completely helpless as Vegeta strolled up to the bleeding and battered captain.

"How the mighty fall," he crooned, beginning to charge up one final ki blast to do him in. However, he faltered when, even through his unspeakable pain and major injuries, he distinctly heard...laughter, from the prone captain. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering if he had simply gone into shock somehow, or if there was something else at work.

"What is it? Why are you laughing?!" he demanded, legitimately anxious. Ginyu only laughed harder before eventually calming down, beckoning him to come closer so that Ginyu could inform him. With extreme effort, he leaned his head up to meet Vegeta's lowered gaze, and whispered something which only confused the prince more.

"You should've gone for the  **lungs**."

Before Vegeta could even formulate a response to the bizarre statement, he shouted with renewed intensity the words which were trademark to Captain Ginyu's last ace in the hole-and, in this case, his only chance for survival.

"CHANGE... **NOW**!"

A yellow beam emerged from Ginyu's mouth and entered into Vegeta's, and within a few seconds, the process was complete, a puff of smoke around the area the only clue as to the switch having ever occurred. Suddenly, "Ginyu" gasped in pain, while "Vegeta" cackled to himself, sounding the same as they did in their respective bodies.

"Ah, yes! This body truly is marvelous!" Ginyu proclaimed, getting a feel for how it worked. Meanwhile, Vegeta growled amidst the agony he himself inflicted.

"You...how-?!"

"Shhhh, shh shh shh. Do not concern yourself, dear Prince. Just lie back and think of...Planet Vegeta." While Vegeta slipped in and out of consciousness, Ginyu went on. "It really was such a marvelous planet, even after just having emerged from a global war. It was clear to me that your people were a race of great warriors, far stronger on average than most of mine. But, alas...too many of you grew too strong, too fast for Lord Frieza's liking." Vegeta's eyes widened, to Ginyu's delight. "Come now...did you really think that 'the mightiest warriors in the universe' would die out to a random asteroid impact? Mere days after a galaxy-wide recall order was given to all the inhabitants of that same planet?" While Vegeta lost the capacity to respond, Ginyu sighed. "In any event, you, the other one, and the half breed my men are currently murdering are the last. Once they're dead, your race will have been erased from the universe, with one exception. And if there ever  **is** a Super Saiyan...it will be  **me** , making full use of the potential you have unlocked within your own body."

He allowed himself one last round of laughter before walking over to his scouter and placing it over his right eye. This completed, he took off into the sky with a burst of ki, leaving the disgraced prince bleeding and broken in a body that wasn't his own.

* * *

Krillin, Yamcha, and Nail seethed with fury as Burter admired his handiwork with a sneer. Recoome, meanwhile, stood there indignantly, while Jeice was somewhat ticked.

"Aw, come on, Burter, are you seriously going to hog all of them?!" he called out just as Burter turned his attention towards Nail, who had readied himself into a combat stance.

"Well, if he hits me, then there's not much I can do about it, is there? The rules say I can fight him if he does!"

Recoome growled, acknowledging the point.

"Fine, but if you kill him, you have to treat us to dinner after we mop up!" he called out.

"Sounds good!"

Nail scoffed. "You would be so arrogant as to treat this like some idle amusement?" he asked pointedly, to which Burter laughed.

"Hardly 'idle' amusement-this is the most fun I've had in months! Do you have any idea how rare someone of your power level is? I lost hope in ever meeting a foe of your strength on dust balls like this!"

"Tch. Well, then, I'll do my best to ensure you don't meet more," he said as he powered up to maximum and flew towards the alien, who swiftly replied in kind, meeting his overhead kick with a punch of relatively equal strength. After this first clash, the two proceeded to rain down a series of blows upon the other, finding themselves stymied at every turn.

"Amazing! To think anyone could match the fastest in the universe!" Burter said aloud in shock when the two finally broke away for a second.

Nail, unlike Yamcha, refused to comment, instead simply resuming his attack anew.

After another minute of this relative stalemate, Burter became frustrated, and decided to try a new tactic.

"Take this! Space Mach Attack!" Burter cried out before he began a renewed assault upon Nail, who still managed to block every punch and kick he threw out even as Burter's speed greatly increased. The two finally broke away from their heated combat once more, each one panting heavily and bleeding from minor blunt injuries.

"You know, I'm impressed," Burter said between gasps. "Nobody's ever managed to go blow for blow with my Space Mach Attack before! Well, except for the Cap-oh, don't even  **start**!" he called down to Yamcha, who was still on the ground. Nail simply smirked, before Burter turned back around to face him. "Now, then! Get a taste of true speed!" With this, he began charging up an aura of blue ki around himself, before rushing at Nail with all of his speed and power. Nail was able to react fast enough to fire off an attack of his own to block his headlong charge.

"MYSTIC FLASHER!" he cried out, sending out a stream of yellow ki from his palm which stopped Burter in his tracks. For a while the two struggled as Burter attempted to push through the attack, but eventually Nail won out, and Burter was sent crashing into the ground, heavily wounded. Not missing a beat, Nail charged up what power he had left and aimed it in a ki blast towards Burter's prone form, only to find the blast intercepted by a ki blast from Jeice. Nail cursed to himself as he set himself back down on the ground some distance away, readying himself for the coming battle. Jeice, meanwhile, moved to the side of his comrade.

"Don't worry, mate. I wasn't about to let some slug ice you," he said as he held out his hand, which Burter took gratefully. "Just grab the balls and head back to Lord Frieza-me and Recoome will mop things up around here and bring in some prisoners to fess up the code."

Burter nodded. "Copy that, pal. Kick his ass for me, huh?"

"You know it. Now move it, soldier!" Jeice commanded, and Burter flew off. Nail attempted to intercept him with a ki blast, but a kick to the head from Jeice left him far too preoccupied. Similarly, none of the other warriors could do anything in their present condition, and in a matter of seconds, Burter had grabbed each of the balls and moved them to one spot before lifting them up with telekinesis, charting a course back to Frieza's ship. Jeice smirked as he punched Nail in the face once more, noticing he had slowed down somewhat.

"Ha! Not quite as agile now, huh, you slimy bastard?!" he asked tauntingly, to which Nail couldn't respond through the pain and exertion. Jeice grinned with satisfaction before going at Nail full force. Although Nail did his best to parry most of the blows, the occasional hit would get through, weakening him ever further, until finally he was left on the ground with a powerful knee to the face. As he struggled to get up, Jeice began charging up a ball of red hot ki above one of his fingers. With a look of pure malice, Jeice readied his Crusher Ball and was about to launch it, when something caught the red alien's eye. His partner was the first to point it out, with a question directed at his commander.

"Hey, Jeice...were we expecting backup?" he asked, legitimately wondering if perhaps Frieza had called in another group of soldiers to help them out. Jeice, however, scowled intensely as he got a fix on the distant flaming ball in the sky: the telltale signal of a ship entering atmosphere.

" **No** ," Jeice replied, before he threw his Crusher Ball towards the descending ship, intending to blow it up before it had a chance to land.

* * *

Frieza tapped his foot impatiently before the scouter over his eye reported a large power reading. Turning around, he saw the form of Vegeta flying towards the ship, but relaxed slightly when he caught sight of Ginyu's scouter over his eye. Nevertheless, he felt he had to be extra sure as Ginyu landed.

"Ah, captain! Splendid! So, then, the change was successful?"

"Indeed, my lord!" Ginyu replied, bowing to his master. "His power truly is extraordinary-perhaps the equal of your own. Well...in this form, at any rate."

Frieza's eyes widened in surprise before he sighed. "Let us be thankful you managed to get him when you did. Who knows what kind of a pain in the neck he may have become? But...just to be absolutely sure..."

"Yes, my lord?"

Frieza sighed, regretting what he was about to ask yet feeling it necessary. "...Will you perform the Dance of Joy?"

Ginyu's new face brightened up at the prospect. "Certainly!" he answered cheerfully, before taking a few steps back and striking a pose. After a series of motions and poses, Frieza waved his hand.

"Alright, I've seen enough, captain!"

Ginyu stopped immediately. "Your caution is wise, my lord."

"Yes, yes, thank you. Now, tell me...is Vegeta dead?"

Ginyu chuckled. "If he isn't by now, he will be soon. He wrecked my old body. I'd be surprised if he could even fly, let alone remain conscious. And even if he is alive, he's nothing compared to what I am now."

Frieza nodded. "Still, it doesn't hurt to be cautious. We'll have your subordinate stand watch while you go out and assist your men."

"Subordinate?" Ginyu asked. "Who do you mean?"

"Well, I assumed that the weakening person flying towards here was one of ours, and Guldo perished some time ago."

"Guldo's dead?!" Ginyu cried out in shock. "Ah, no, he was so useful!  **And** he was an integral part of the team's color dynamic!"

"Surely there must be a powerful yellow alien somewhere in the universe?" Frieza asked, somewhat exasperated. "Or perhaps you could find a prodigious blue and yellow pair from Symbia?"

Ginyu thought this over. "Hm...I suppose that could work. But anyway, who is wounded?"

"All of your other men are so close in power that it's hard to tell. But...he does seem to be moving fairly fast."

"Burter?!" Ginyu gasped. "To think that their powerful ally could keep up with the third fastest in the universe!"

Frieza nodded. "Fortunately, the others seem to have the situation under control. That mysterious warrior is not long for this world, nor are any of the other weaklings. And if my hunch is right, I believe Burter is delivering the Dragon Balls right into our hands."

Ginyu nodded. "I suppose they can finish up without my getting involved, eager as I am to test out this new body."

Frieza pursed his lips. "I would wait a while before engaging in combat, captain."

Ginyu cocked his head. "Why not, my lord?"

"Well...your power flying in...wasn't that impressive."

Ginyu looked back at him in disbelief. "I was flying remarkably fast, to my recollection."

Frieza shook his head. "Captain, power up to maximum. Right now."

Ginyu was taken aback by the request, but nodded. "Certainly," he said before powering up fully. When he was done, he looked at his lord. "Well?"

"...80,000," Frieza replied frankly, to Ginyu's shock.

"80,000?! B-but that's not even stronger than I was before!"

Frieza sighed as one who has suffered a similar problem as that of a friend. "I worried something like this might happen. Your soul, mind, consciousness, whatever, hasn't adjusted to your new body yet. A similar thing happened to me when I crafted my transformations-it took a while to truly draw out the ideal level of power for each one. Similarly, you will need to learn the operation of that body in order to draw out Vegeta's immense power."

Ginyu simply looked on, downcast, but brightened up when he considered Frieza's words. "Very well! I'll simply have to train harder in this body! In fact, I shall begin immediately!" With that, he set about doing rudimentary stretches and mimed attacks while Frieza simply looked on at the empty sky, watching the fight through what his scouter could tell him.

* * *

Jeice smirked as the Crusher Ball arced ever closer to its target, while Nail cursed to himself for not being able to react in time in his present condition. Even still, he attempted to charge up a ki blast to intercept the attack, but found himself kicked in the back of the head by Jeice, leaving him on the ground once more. Jeice and Recoome then went back to watching the Crusher Ball, only to find it had become too small to see clearly in the distance.

"Huh. Did you get it, or...?" Recoome asked before he noticed something-a small red dot in the sky, gradually flying closer. With a start, he realized what it was. "Boss, get down!" he cried as he threw Jeice to the ground, the Crusher Ball soaring just a few feet above where their heads had been and continuing on towards a nearby mountain, vaporizing it completely upon impact. Jeice and Recoome looked back to the ruins in shock.

"Did someone just...bounce it back?" Jeice asked, wondering who could be powerful enough to reflect his signature technique.

"Impossible! I-I'm only getting two 5,000 readings on the scouter!" Recoome replied, his anxiety evident. Yamcha, however, smirked with what energy he could muster.

"Ohoho, you guys are  **screwed** now!" he called out confidently, leaving Jeice and Recoome confused. A handful of seconds later, the two got their explanation, as a familiar figure seemed to burst onto the scene in a tremendous display of speed. Nail looked up from where he had been on the ground and squinted, as if he doubted what he was seeing.

"Wait...is that-?"

"GOKU!" Krillin cried out happily, before wincing in pain from his injuries. "Agh! Ow! Hurts to shout!"

Goku chuckled slightly before he heard his friend's cry of pain. "Oh, shoot, hold on! I've got a couple Senzu beans on me and..." He stopped in his preparations when he caught sight of Gohan, barely breathing, and rushed to his side in a flash. "Gohan!" he cried out in concern, hurriedly pulling out a Senzu bean. "Can you...oh, God, your neck's broken!" Panic overtook him for a second before he steadied himself and moved to force Gohan's mouth open slightly. "Okay, daddy's going to feed this to you, okay? Don't worry!" The Ginyu Force members looked on in utter confusion as Goku fed Gohan the Senzu bean, and were outright shocked when Gohan's wounds seemed to disappear a moment later, and he blinked slightly to regain his composure.

"Daddy...?" Gohan asked faintly, before his vision came into focus, and he clearly saw the relieved face of his father. "DADDY!" He cried out in sheer joy, tears coming to his eyes as he hugged his father. Goku chuckled as he returned his son's embrace before breaking away. "I-I can't believe it you're actually here oh my gosh so much has happened I was so scared we almost died like five times and Miss Bulma was kidnapped and Vegeta's insanely strong and we all got pretty strong too but then these guys came and beat us up and-"

Goku placed his head on Gohan's shoulder and focused his ki intently for a moment. A host of images played out throughout his mind as he absorbed the contents of Gohan's memories.

"Son, it's okay. I know."

Gohan paused in his fast-paced recounting of events to cock his head in confusion. "You do?"

"Yup! Master Roshi showed me how to do that trick while me and Piccolo were resting!" Goku replied cheerfully before he caught sight of Krillin and Yamcha, and looked somewhat more concerned. "Sorry, son, I'd love to catch up, but it's gonna have to wait a sec." With that, he flew to meet Krillin, still heavily wounded. Everyone involved looked on in shock and wonder at Goku's newfound speed.

"Man...this new training of yours must've been really productive," Krillin said through the pain as Goku knelt down.

"Yuh-huh!" Goku replied happily before he looked over to Nail. "Oh, hey...uh, Nail! Are you doing okay?"

Nail grimaced as he pulled himself to his feet, his regeneration beginning to kick in. "I've...been better. But my regeneration can take care of this. Focus on your friends."

"Okay!" With that, he handed a Senzu bean to Krillin before flying off to Yamcha and repeating the process. Both accepted the beans gratefully, pulling themselves to their feet while Goku sized up his competition. However, Yamcha suddenly found himself convulsing in pain as his right arm began to throb violently, particularly where the gaping wound remained. Falling back to his knees, Krillin and Gohan rushed to his side while Goku spared only a glance, focused on the coming fight at hand.

After a moment, Yamcha's breathing slowed, and his right arm seemed to regenerate itself slowly, stopping the bleeding and eventually reforming a normal right arm. With a slight gasp of pain and shock, Yamcha flexed the joints in his hand and moved his arm around a bit, finding no residual pain save that caused by the blood loss. Left to marvel at this miracle, the other Earthlings and the wounded Nail were preoccupied while Jeice and Recoome remained fixed on the Saiyan warrior, their apprehension evident, until Goku spoke up.

"Just checking: are either of you responsible for any of this?" he asked candidly, to which Jeice found himself panicking slightly before regaining his composure.

"W-well, what if we are, you orange hillbilly?! We don't have to answer to blokes like you! Right, Recoome?!"

"Y-yeah! Step off, small fry!" he called out, his confidence coming back faster.

Goku simply sighed. "Well, that complicates things. See, I was willing to think that maybe you weren't all that bad, just following orders and all that because this Frieza guy would kill you if you didn't. But what I'm hearing is...one of you broke my son's neck," Goku finished harshly, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a look of quiet anger. "So obviously that's made me think twice about letting you go."

Jeice gulped before hardening his resolve. He gathered up all of his ki and charged straight for Goku, Recoome in tow, before Goku's afterimage vanished from sight, the man himself reappearing just behind them as they both moved out of the charge.

"You guys can't adjust your level of power all that much, can you?" Goku asked frankly, to which Jeice, only just noticing Goku's presence, turned around frantically in response, at a loss for words. "So, if this is it..." Goku continued, angering Jeice.

"Grr! Why, you little-!" Jeice began before Goku's afterimage disappeared once again, leaving him unprepared for Goku karate chopping him in the neck, knocking him out cold. Recoome simply looked at the unconscious body of his commander in shock before growling.

"Alright, wise guy! Let's see how you handle  **this**!" The brute readied himself into a combat stance as purple ki crackled all around him. "RECOOME...ULTRA...MEGA...ERASER GU-!"

Goku silenced the brutish alien warrior with a quick elbow strike to his pelvis, leaving him to fall to his knees, rapidly losing consciousness.

"Y-you..." he began, before promptly falling bent over onto his face and into the dirt.

Goku took a step back from the fallen warriors before taking breathing in, as one might do when finishing a quick warm up.

"Well! That was fun! Kinda hoping to fight guys who are actually a challenge, though. And I can't seem to sense Vegeta anywhere. Is he dead? Also, wasn't there supposed to be a leader guy who's, like, way stronger? Cuz I'm not really sensing much over in the direction of Frieza's ship..."

The others looked over at Goku in shock, Nail especially, given his lack of knowledge about the Saiyan fighter.

" _Unbelievable! It took everything I had just to defeat one of them, and he defeated two with no effort at all?! Who_ is  _this man?!"_

Suddenly, Yamcha remembered something amidst his residual shock.

"Wait, Goku! There was a third one with them-he was the one who beat us all up! He's made off with the Dragon Balls!"

Goku started in surprise. "Oh, shoot, that's right! Uh...just, give me a second!" After a second's concentration, Goku opened his eyes and looked back at the group, giving them a thumbs up. As the others cocked their heads in confusion, they all became aware of a far larger power flying directly overhead, moving too fast to make out clearly. And yet, to the Earthlings, it felt familiar.

"Wait...is  **that** Mr. Piccolo?!" Gohan cried out in astonishment as the individual in question hunted down Burter.

"Yup!" Goku said happily. "He sure is strong, huh?"

"Holy  **hell**!" Yamcha muttered to himself in astonishment.

"Are you not worried that Frieza and this 'Ginyu' will detect your power level with their scouters?" Nail asked bluntly. Goku shook his head.

"Nope! I'm way stronger than him now, anyway!"

At this, he was met with stunned silence.

"...You're serious?" Krillin asked.

"H-he's way more powerful than any of us, daddy. Are you sure you-?" Gohan added.

"Well, I'm definitely not in my base form, yeah, but with all the training I've been doing, I've greatly improved the Kaio-ken technique!" Goku replied. "I should be able to handle kicking it up all the way to Times Ten! And, heck, I could probably beat him with Times Four, minimum!"

Gohan's eyes widened along with the others.

"You're actually serious?!" Yamcha asked, before breaking out into a wide smile. "Oh my God, yes! The nightmare is finally coming to an end!" The others were similarly relieved, while Goku simply smiled, grateful that his friends were okay.

"Oh, by the way, can we meet this Lord Guru guy?" Goku asked. "This whole unlocking thing sounds really cool!"

Nail nodded. "Of course. Right this way."

The group promptly took off towards Guru's home, landing at the entrance after a brief flight and entering the main hall moments later, where Guru, Tsuno, and the other Namekians had been watching the fight feverishly alongside Bulma. Nail moved to greet his Namekian brothers, while Bulma moved to embrace Goku. When the greetings and sighs of relief were over and done with, Guru held up a hand, asking his children to be silent.

"I can easily guess as to your intentions, Son Goku," Guru replied. "Step forward."

Goku did so, whereupon Guru placed his right hand over Goku's head and unlocked his remaining potential.

"Hehe! It tickles!" Goku replied, smiling his usual boyish smile as he felt the newly unlocked ki course through his body.

"I imagine that this 'Piccolo' will want his potential unlocked too."

"You bet! I bet he'll become even stronger than me!" Goku replied eagerly.

Guru chuckled. "Contrary to what you may think, there are limits on how much power I can draw out of people. Still, he is quite strong. He's rapidly overtaken the last warrior from before, and could subdue him quite easily."

"Yup! He's gotten really fast since we've been training!" Goku replied cheerfully before a darker thought entered his head. "Oh, wait a sec, I told him that the guy he's chasing probably broke Gohan's neck, so he might just-"

All of the warriors started suddenly as they felt Burter's distant ki signature abruptly cut out, before Piccolo's hovered in place for a moment and turned around, headed back towards Guru's home.

"...Hm," Goku finally said, frowning slightly at Piccolo's violent actions. Gohan was likewise perturbed at his mentor's ruthlessness, although the others were more neutral.

"In any event," Guru began, turning the warriors' attention back to him, "There is the matter of what to do with the Dragon Balls this time around, once Piccolo brings them back here. And, of course, Frieza is liable to involve himself in this struggle sooner or later."

Goku nodded. "From what I could get off of Gohan's memories, it sounded like the main ideas involved teleporting people places."

"Essentially correct," Nail replied. "The first solution seems moot at this point, given your new power and this 'Kaio-ken' technique of yours, and the second..." He paused to consider the ramifications of the second plan they had come up with. "Although it may prove beneficial, some here are reluctant to abandon this planet."

"But, then again, if you truly are capable of defeating Frieza, then it would be a sensible precaution to relocate everyone to minimize further loss of life in the ensuing battle," Guru concluded. "Plus, there is the matter of your Dragon Balls. I take it, based on his extraordinary power, that Piccolo did indeed fuse with this 'Kami' person, the creator of your Dragon Balls?"

Goku's expression darkened slightly. "Yeah, uh...that's right," he confirmed, to everyone else's shock. Goku turned to face them. "Dr. Briefs and I both forgot to mention this earlier, and Kami hadn't yet gotten around to telling everyone on Earth before you guys left. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Krillin replied. "It's just...surprising, that's all."

Goku chuckled mirthlessly. "You're telling me."

"At any rate, their fusion has likely rendered the balls inert with the absence of their creator. However, all members of the Dragon Clan are trained in the art of reactivating Dragon Balls should a current Grand Elder perish without naming a successor. Thus, teleporting all of us to Earth will allow us to restore your Dragon Balls...perhaps even modify their properties."

Goku and the others thought this plan over before nodding. "Seems like the best plan in the long run," Krillin stated, to the others' agreement. The Namekians discussed the issue among themselves for a moment, before the majority came to the same conclusion, despite their reticence about leaving their home for any length of time. Guru nodded and held up his hand, indicating that he had heard and acknowledged the views of all parties involved.

"Well, that settles the first wish-to transport all good people, living or dead, from Namek to the planet Earth, in order to restore your own Dragon Balls. This wish would include, of course, a list of exceptions for everyone who wishes to stay and fight Frieza. As for the other two, your comrades have already been revived once more, yes?"

"Yeah, but Master Roshi is busy training in the afterlife. Chiaotzu wants to see his friends Tien and Launch again."

"Hm. Then we shall use one of the wishes to revive Chiaotzu, unless you believe there are more pertinent interests at stake."

"Nothing I can think of at the moment."

"Very well." Guru nodded and held out his hand. "Does anyone else wish to have their potential unlocked?"

After a moment, Gohan stepped forward, while Dende looked on, hesitating over some vague impression. Guru placed his hand over Gohan's head once more, releasing some of the potential of Gohan's newly recovered body.

"There. Now you will experience an even greater boost in power." Gohan nodded, readying himself for the coming conflict. On this note, Piccolo could be heard arriving outside, nonchalantly throwing the Dragon Balls into the chamber through the hole in the wall before entering through the elevator from the entrance below.

"Greetings," Piccolo said to the various warriors assembled there, who generally returned his greeting, although Goku frowned slightly.

"Was that really-?"

" _Was that_ really- _?"_

" **Yes** ," Piccolo replied harshly before his gaze settled on Gohan, and brightened somewhat. "Hello again...Son Gohan," he said, evidently with some slight effort. "I am amazed at the strength you have obtained."

He heard Kami chuckling in his head. " _Oh, my. First Goku, and now his son too. Everyone seems to be passing you by."_

" _Shut. The hell. Up."_

Guru allowed himself a small smile. "So, Piccolo, we meet at last. I had long lost hope of any relation of my departed friend Katas returning home, and yet...hm. Well," he finished, having had his fill of reminiscing of happier times, and held out his hand. "Stand under my hand, and I shall unlock your hidden potential."

Piccolo nodded, stepping forward and allowing Guru to touch his head. In an instant, he felt a rush of ki enter into his body, and he stepped back in astonishment once the process was complete.

"Yes, as I thought. Your fusion has indeed given you great potential. I hope that this new power serves you well."

Piccolo smirked, looking around at Goku, Gohan, and the others as they all sensed his full power.

"Likewise," he said, satisfied. " _Well, how about that, old man?"_ he thought to himself snidely. Kami declined to comment. Goku, meanwhile, cracked his knuckles, ready to go back into combat at any moment.

"Alright, we don't wanna have to fight the guy here, so here's the plan: me and Piccolo will go meet Frieza halfway, far away from anyone else. Then you guys can cast your wish and get out of dodge." Goku was about to continue when Gohan cleared his throat, somewhat nervously. He looked over at his son. "Yes, kiddo?"

"Aren't you forgetting somebody?" Gohan said, attempting to crack his knuckles for emphasis, but not quite managing it, instead simply moving his fist in his other hand and imitating the sound, to Bulma's amusement.

Goku looked over at Piccolo, who nodded, before looking back at Gohan. "Are you sure about this? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're ridiculously strong now, you'd be really helpful, but...well...your mother is very-"

"Daddy, I'm pretty sure Mommy's going to kill you and Miss Bulma simply for how much I've been beat up  **already**." Goku and Bulma's eyes both widened slightly. He had to acknowledge that his son made a good point. "Besides," Gohan continued. "Even though I get scared fighting, and I don't want to hurt anyone if I can't help it...Frieza killed all of these people, for no reason. If I run away when I possess the power to do something..." he left the sentence hanging, his meaning evident when he concluded, "I  **have** to do this."

Goku looked at his son, unsure of whether or not to allow his request, before nodding. "Alright. You can fight along with us. Anyone else?"

Nail, Krillin, Yamcha, and the other Namekian warriors looked to each other, unsure of whether or not they should say anything. Yamcha eventually stepped forward slightly, speaking for the group. "Look, we all want to help defeat this guy, but at the same time...what can we do? H-he's way too powerful for any of us at this point-we'd probably just get in the way. But we don't want to just cut and run at the first chance, either. It's..." he ended awkwardly, unsure how to elaborate. Goku nodded in understanding.

"I gotcha. Well, for now, just stay here and keep everyone safe. And...don't sell yourselves short here. A lot of people would probably be dead by now if it weren't for all of you."

Goku's words of encouragement caused them to brighten up slightly, and they all nodded in acknowledgement of Goku's instructions. However, Dende instead furrowed his brow, the vague impression of an idea entering his head as he mulled over their situation.

Meanwhile, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan spared one last look at the group assembled in Guru's home before turning around and heading back out of the building, taking off at top speed in the direction of Frieza's massive ki signature while Nail and some of the other Namekians busied themselves with taking the Dragon Balls outside. Gohan flew with determination, even as he was still nervous about the whole ordeal, while Piccolo was more subdued, waiting to fully exercise his new power. Goku, despite being reasonably sure he would triumph, was tense with excitement.

" _So_ this  _is the toughest guy in the universe_ ," he thought as he felt the tyrant's ki, before settling into a confident grin, ready for battle. " _Come on and show me what you've got, Frieza!"_

* * *

A few minutes before, Frieza had clenched his fist in anger upon detecting that Burter's ki signature had abruptly cut out, and a far more powerful ki signature was heading off in the opposite direction after a moment's pause.

"No...no, no, no, no, NO!" he screamed with fury as he saw his prize being taken before his eyes once more. Ginyu stopped his training regimen and hurried to his master's side.

"Master, what is the matter?!"

Frieza growled slightly as he replied, "All of them are dead or dying. They never stood a chance...nor do you, for that matter."

Ginyu's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you mean...Burter...Jeice..."

"All of them are gone!" Frieza cried out in fury. "The most dependable soldiers in the galaxy, gone, and their leader only at a fraction of his new strength!"

Ginyu began to panic slightly as he considered the ramifications. "D-don't worry, master! I will go and-!"

"They're all far stronger than you at the moment, captain," Frieza interjected quickly. "No...this has gone on long enough. They've been interfering with my plans for too long." Frieza took a couple steps forward, until he was standing over the edge of his ship. Ginyu took a step forward to interject.

"Master-"

"Remain here, captain. Guard the ship and kill anyone who comes near," Frieza ordered strictly, in a tone which brooked no argument, before his expression hardened. " **I** will exterminate these determined pests and obtain what is mine!"

With that, he took off with enough force to rip off a part of the hull plating, locating their ki signatures with his scouter and adjusting his course to intercept them mid-flight. He scowled with rage as he allowed more of his latent power to be let loose.

" _Either I will obtain immortality...or_ _ **they**_ _will wish they had,"_ he thought to himself grimly, ready to enact his retribution.

* * *

Alright, done! Have a bit going on atm, so I'll try and make this note brief, but at last, we're going into the final act of this fic's Frieza Saga! Got a few twists and turns for the coming chapters, so I hope y'all enjoy!

Anyway, comments!

Ushindeshi says:

"Great story. I love how you made master Roshi a respective character. I can't wait to see he's results. Cool robot hand you made for Yamcha but can you make it much more cooler. I'm not surprised Guldo is dead, he did died on the Frieza saga."

Thanks! And yeah, I do kinda regret him taking a back seat here, but don't worry-it'll have plenty of ramifications through the story moving forward. He's not going to be on the sidelines very long.

VermillionC4 says:

"Finally reached this part! I have to say, great fic. It's rare to have a story focused on Roshi actually keeping up. A little ironic to have it focused on him but have him out for a large portion of the story, but eh you'll make up for it I'm sure. He no doubt should be capable with that training he did on his own to match up in the T.O.P. Regarding your point earlier back in the story...I think Roshi had surpassed Tien and Krillin going based on his performance. He managed to do even more than his two human students, afterall! A little sad you said we wont see his hypnosis. But it's your story to make, and I like it regardless! Really wonder how Goku and Piccolo will manage with them being so far behind Vegeta and Frieza in power. And how the heck are Krillin and Nail gonna survive this?"

Well, pretty much all of those questions were answered here, lmao. Hopefully those answers work! Although, in the case of Goku and Piccolo going against Frieza, nobody gave them the memo on his transformations. So, needless to say, they're in for a surprise. And Vegeta...he's had better days.

Hm. Yeah, there are definitely differing opinions on this. I do agree Roshi will turn out much stronger than Tien at least, although he's had a major advantage. They'll catch up sooner or later, though.

Anyway, glad you've been enjoying it!

HA4e says:

"Finally! Read all up to this chapter, and it's the bloody Ginyu Force! I just loved the interactions and dialogue of the Ginyu Force here. And poor Gohan still gets his neck broken."

Ikr? It hurt a little to write, I'll admit, but Gohan pulled through, and now he's a stronger boi than ever. Also, yeah, Ginyu banter was my favorite part of this little mini arc. I love these goofballs.

And, technically not this chapter, but KakashiHatakeDFS says:

"i see you watch masako. i have the utmost respect for you now" in reference to a nod at the end of the Saiyan Saga.

Ah. I see you are a man of culture as well.

With all that said, power levels, at long last!

Goku(100x gravity training): 150,000, 1,500,000 with Kaio-ken x 10

Goku(potential unlocked): 200,000

Piccolo(100x gravity training): 300,000

Piccolo(potential unlocked): 450,000

Gohan(post-Zenkai): 530,000

Frieza(first form): 530,000

Vegeta(wounded, body-swapped): 23,000

Alright, with all that said, hope you all enjoyed, have a fantastic night, and take care.


	21. The Emperor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At long last, Goku is ready to fight Frieza, aided by Piccolo and Gohan! All three of them have grown far stronger thanks to Guru and their previous battles, but will it be enough to stop the mighty Frieza? And just how will all of the other Earthlings and Namekians play into this epic battle? Find out now in Hermit!

After a few minutes of flying, Goku suddenly stopped, prompting Piccolo and Gohan to pause in their flight as well.

"He's on his way, and this is as good a spot as any," Goku remarked.

Piccolo nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Now...are we all ready for this?" Goku nodded enthusiastically, while Gohan paused for a second before nodding in turn. "Very well. Now...release the maximum of your power!"

Goku complied, powering up to the maximum of his base power alongside Piccolo and Gohan, releasing waves of ki which rocked the surrounding landscape. Piccolo took this task a step further, tossing aside his weighted clothing until he was left with only his standard gi and shoes. This accomplished, the three warriors hovered in wait for a moment before a rocketing burst of ki could be seen in the distance, traveling faster than almost any combatant they had yet seen. Frieza halted in his flight a few meters ahead of them, and looked over the three warriors with a cold, calculating gaze.

"So...we meet once again, brat," Frieza began, addressing Gohan. The young Saiyan gulped nervously before meeting his gaze. "And you two must be the ones who decimated the Ginyu Force." Goku and Piccolo nodded. "And you even had the nerve to take my Dragon Balls from me once again," he added, to which the others said nothing, before he let his anger show through his polite facade. "I will  **not** allow anyone to make such a fool of me and live to see the next day, do you hear me?! I will blast you all to  **atoms** for what you and your allies have done!"

Gohan hovered back a pace, while Piccolo and Goku looked at the tyrant with bemusement.

"They always act like this, don't they?" Piccolo remarked.

"Like little kids," Goku replied, chuckling. Frieza's anger exploded.

"You...you  **dare** mock me, emperor of the universe?! You impudent little-who the hell do you think you are to challenge the might of Frieza?!"

Goku smirked before his expression hardened alongside Piccolo's. "My name...is Son Goku," he began. "I was born on Planet Vegeta, before being sent away to a planet called Earth. There, I was found and cared for by a kind man, and gradually built a life for myself there. I made friends, and enemies, got married, had a son..." Goku said as he looked down at Gohan, who smiled back at him. "I've done pretty good for myself, all things considered. But you...you're poised to take all of that away."

Frieza's anger grew the longer the speech continued. " _Why do these heroic types always have such boring speeches?"_ he lamented in his head. Goku, meanwhile, kept talking.

"We're not going to let you get the Namekian Dragon Balls. Even if you did, they wouldn't work for you. And I know that you're aware of the existence of my planet's Dragon Balls. You'll go there next, and hurt countless innocents in your relentless search for them...just like you've done here." Goku clenched his fist before entering into a combat stance. "You're not going to hurt my friends, Frieza, or anyone else! I'm going to stop you, here and now!"

Frieza rolled his eyes before clapping sarcastically. "What a marvelous speech, 'Son Goku!' But I'm afraid that mere platitudes are not enough to spare you from your inevitable demise. The power that I possess is beyond all mortal comprehension. It  **has** no equal among mortal beings, no matter how fervently you devote yourself to these silly 'training regimens' of yours, and the data from this scouter makes it clear to me that none of you possess the power to pose a genuine challenge to me. Of course, I am aware of your marvelous ability to hide your true strength, but it makes no difference. It simply  **cannot** measure up to my own. Sooner or later, I  **will** kill you. All of you. Then, I will find your allies on this planet, and I will kill however many of them I need to in order to obtain my Dragon Balls. And then I'll kill the rest of them, and your wife, and your other friends, and all of the other residents of this planet Earth...simply in the pursuit of paying interest. And there is  **nothing** you or anyone else can do about it." By the end of his proclamation, Frieza was grinning sadistically, his body tensing up as it prepared itself to release the full extent of his power.

Goku smirked. "We'll see about that."

With a deep breath, Goku steadied himself, allowing the ki he'd unleashed to flow throughout his body as he prepared to push it even further beyond. As soon as he began the process of doing so, Frieza unleashed the full extent of his power, causing the surrounding area to shake with the sheer intensity before he flew forward towards Goku. As Frieza rapidly closed the gap, Goku replied to Frieza's power in kind, needing only to go up to Kaio-ken Times Three on account of his recent power increase. Frieza was shocked to find his punch caught in Goku's right fist. After a brief struggle, he attempted to hit him with his left hand, to the same result. As the two struggled against each other, Piccolo drew two fingers to his forehead and sent a telepathic signal to Gohan.

"W-what the-?! How are you...?!" Frieza asked as he endeavored to break out of Goku's grip. Goku simply smirked as the two struggled like this for some time, before the intensity of Goku's power at Times Three overloaded Frieza's scouter, causing him to break away. No sooner had he done so than Goku flew towards him once more, this time powering up to Times Four. Frieza attempted to counter with a punch, only for Goku to easily fly out of the way and reply in kind, hitting him with a hard right hook across the face. Before he could recover, Goku hit him with several more blows, capping it off with a powerful kick which sent him flying.

Still reeling, Frieza was unable to avoid Gohan coming up from behind him, tapping into his anger and newfound power to send him flying upwards into the air with a roundhouse kick. Frieza moved to stabilize himself, but heard too late the faint sound of energy building up. Moving to the right as much as he could in a split second, Frieza narrowly avoided the full brunt of Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon, instead taking it across the side and leaving him heavily wounded. Weakened by pain from numerous injuries, Frieza found himself unable to sustain his own flight, falling down to the ground in an erratic formation as he clutched his bleeding side and landed hard near a mountain. In a matter of seconds, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan had touched down in front of him, pushing him against the rock face as he looked up at them with seething fury. He struggled to stand as purple blood dripped onto the blue grass below his feet. Piccolo chuckled.

"How quickly overconfidence goes out the window when you're slumped up against a wall," he remarked with amusement as he charged up a second Special Beam Cannon. Goku found himself cracking a smile in turn.

"Yeah, after that whole dramatic speech of yours...I gotta say I was expecting more."

At this statement, Frieza snapped.

"'More?'" he asked, his pain and anger dripping with every word. "'MORE?!' You low-born, disgusting, pathetic monkey GARBAGE! You DARE condescend to me, Lord Frieza?! The most powerful mortal being to ever exist?! I...will make you SUFFER for such an insult!"

With a supreme effort, Frieza managed to let out a small kiai, powerful enough to tear off his armor in a single burst. He trembled all throughout his body as he began to concentrate heavily, gathering what energy he had left and devoting every last bit he could spare to the process. Goku and Gohan faltered, looking on in confusion, while Piccolo continued to charge the Special Beam Cannon with increasing apprehension. Suddenly, without any warning, his torso expanded to dramatic proportions, while the rest of him was left alone. However, this too began to change-his arms increased in length and thickness, followed by his legs rapidly expanding in size to fit his barrel-like frame, which seemed to increase in size even more alongside it. Finally, with a drawn out cry of exertion, Frieza's horns grew in thickness and curved upwards, becoming significantly more fearsome, while his neck became significantly longer to match the rest of his body. To the warriors' shock, even the wounds that had previously left him in such a sorry state were completely healed once the transformation was complete. With a few short, haggard breaths, the towering second form of Frieza looked straight at the warriors as he sat there on one knee.

"Tell me," he began, in a significantly deeper, bellowing voice than before, "how's  **this** for 'more?'"

* * *

Several minutes before, another of the Dragon Clan elders stood before the Namekian Dragon Balls assembled on Guru's lawn, ready to activate them.

"We're ready, Lord Guru!" he called out to his lord and father from his position on the lawn. Guru nodded in approval.

"Excellent. Now, before we begin..." he said, turning to the Earthlings and the warrior Namekians, who were standing guard over the Namekians residing in Guru's home alongside Dende and some other villagers. "We are about to make our wish upon the Dragon Balls, but before we do so, we must know, definitively, where each of you stand, so that we can name you as exceptions to the wish should you desire to remain. Speak now, or you shall travel to Earth with the rest of us."

The warriors in question paused, each of them wondering whether they were truly making the right decision. Krillin moved to speak, but before he could, Dende spoke up.

"L-lord Guru! M-may I be allowed to speak?"

Tsuno and the other Namekians were taken aback by this, while Guru nodded. "Of course, my child. What is it you wish to say?"

Dende hesitated before explaining.

"E-ever since this nightmare began, I have been a witness to far greater horrors than any person ought to be," he began. Guru nodded sadly along with the other Namekians before Dende continued. "But amidst all of this death, watching and sensing others in pain, on both sides...it's stirred something. Some faint memory, like something I'd learned long ago, but have forgotten about since. And the more that I see, the more I'm struck with the need to figure out just what this memory means. So...Lord Guru, if it's not too much to ask-"

"Step forward," Guru interjected. "If my suspicion is right...you have good reason to desire this, my child."

Dende complied, walking up to Guru's outstretched hand calmly, before Guru initiated the procedure once again. When the ki was released, Dende didn't feel all that different at first. However, as he looked upon the wounds Nail's regeneration had yet to fix, the memory he had alluded to suddenly presented itself clearly in his mind. He flew over to Nail and placed both of his hands on his chest. Within seconds, a transparent field of orange energy swept across Nail's body, and his remaining wounds quickly sealed themselves up. The assembled onlookers looked on in wonder, while Guru smiled, his hunch having been proven correct.

"You have unlocked a marvelous gift, my child," Guru said. "Not since the halcyon days of my youth have there ever been healers among the children of the Dragon Clan."

"Incredible..." Nail said, his voice hushed by astonishment. "W-we'd all heard Lord Guru's stories, of course, but I-I was scarcely sure it was possible..."

Dende looked down upon his hands, pondering the power that he now possessed, before clenching his fists and reaching a decision.

"I need to stay."

Even in light of the miracle that had just taken place, some of the Namekians protested.

"Are you insane?!"

"The powers those fighters have are beyond you! It's too dangerous!"

"How could you possibly throw away your life like this?!"

"Would you really risk such a remarkable gift on such a suicidal endeavor?!"

"That gift is precisely why I  **must** go!" Dende shot back at the last villager. "W-with this power, I could greatly improve Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo's odds against Frieza, as well as anyone else who decides to stay!"

"Goku himself assured us that he would be more than capable of eliminating the threat," Tsuno replied. "Every indication thus far suggests that he was correct. Goku is more than capable of defeating Frieza on his own, particularly with the assistance of such capable warriors as-"

Before he could finish the sentence, a cold sensation rocked the room as those assembled sensed Frieza's ki increase immensely, perhaps over twice its original magnitude. Tsuno was shocked into silence for several seconds before he eventually continued.

"Hm! Uh, G-Goku should still be more than powerful enough to defeat Frieza. N-none of you need concern yourselves," he said, not nearly as confident as he was before. Yamcha spoke up then, remembering a particular piece of information.

"This seems an awful lot like something I sensed earlier from one of Frieza's goons. In an instant he got much, much stronger than before, as strong as Vegeta was at the time," Yamcha pointed out. Tsuno was quick to reply.

"Well, then this is merely the last ditch effort of a warrior refusing to accept defeat!" Tsuno countered hastily.

"Or an indication of how much power he has left in store," Yamcha replied simply, to which Tsuno had no immediate response. Krillin piled on.

"I-if he shows off another boost like that, Goku might not be able to handle him! Then we'll really be in trouble!"

"You have no reason to believe-!"

"We have no reason to believe he  **can't** pull it off again either!" Krillin interjected, to Yamcha's agreement. Before Tsuno could respond, Dende seized upon the support.

"As long as the possibility exists that Goku and the others might fail, we must provide every resource we can to ensure that they succeed!"

At this, the Namekian villagers were quieted somewhat, no longer quite as secure in their arguments, before Guru spoke up.

"Your wisdom goes far beyond your years, my son. If it is your wish to remain here, it shall be done."

Dende smiled. "Thank you, Lord Guru," he said earnestly, to which Guru smiled.

"Now...anyone else?"

After a few seconds, Nail stepped forward.

"I must carry out my obligation to my people. As long as Dende is placing himself into harm's way, it is my duty to protect him with my life," Nail stated simply. Krillin and Yamcha soon stepped forward as well.

"Even if there isn't much we can do...we shouldn't just cut and run," Yamcha said, to which Krillin nodded. The other Namekians hesitated, one of the three warriors stepping forward before the other put his hand on his shoulder, dissuading him from speaking up. The warrior sighed in acceptance, his shame evident on his face. Guru spared a glance at the three before turning to the Earthlings and Nail.

"You will all be permitted to remain. Now, make haste! I worry your dire predictions may come true yet..."

With a curt nod, Nail picked up Dende and raced down the elevator into the courtyard, Krillin and Yamcha sparing a quick goodbye to Bulma and the Namekians before following suit. When they had gone, Guru took a deep breath and gave the command.

"Summon Porunga, now!"

The Namekian villager nodded and began his incantation.

"[Rise, Porunga, God of Dreams!]"

At the Namekian incantation, the assembled Dragon Balls began to glow and emit a high pitched whine before a light burst forth and shot upwards into the sky. As the sky turned black as night, the form of the Dragon God Porunga began to take shape. Although similar to Shenron in coloration, Porunga was significantly more bulky, lacking the longer snout of his Earthen counterpart in favor of a rounded out head. He also had a series of spikes protruding from his head, and the same piercing red eyes of Shenron. Most significantly, Porunga's hands were far more humanoid than Shenron's, possessing four fingers of such size and shape as to make it believable for the dragon to pick up things just like a person. In a more humorous touch, the dragon also had a set of antennae on his forehead, just like a Namekian. The dragon looked down on the Namekian who summoned him and the others who decided to gather around him.

"O MASTER OF THE DRAGON BALLS," he began in a booming voice even deeper than Shenron's, "STATE YOUR WISH. I SHALL GRANT ANY THREE WITHIN MY POWER."

The Namekian cleared his breath before he spoke up to the dragon.

"[Teleport all good people, living or dead, from the planet Namek to the planet Earth, with the exception of the individuals known as Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Nail, Yamcha, Krillin, and Dende!]"

The dragon nodded. "YOUR WISH SHALL BE GRANTED. I SHALL TRANSPORT THE HUMAN BULMA AND ALL OTHER NAMEKIANS TO EARTH, LEAVING BEHIND THOSE WHO DECIDED TO STAY."

With that, the assembled group noticed a strange sensation, as if they were being plucked out of the world and placed somewhere else by an invisible hand. In mere seconds, Bulma and the Namekians were teleported away from the planet, including the many bodies piled up all over the planet in the villages raided by Frieza and his men. Guru was the last to be teleported out, before the Namekian Dragon Balls began to rise up into the air. Porunga disappeared into the balls before they took off into space at a speed many times faster than light, seeking to place themselves as close as possible to their current master.

* * *

Meanwhile, Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan stood off against the imposing figure, Goku being the first to speak.

"What was that?" he asked, partly out of curiosity and partly out of apprehension. Frieza smiled, looking at the Saiyan with condescending pity.

"That," Frieza began, "was me transforming into my second form, a physiological change which releases further degrees of my true power. Case in point..."

Goku's eyes widened as he considered Frieza's words, but before he could resolve to fly towards Frieza, the giant had taken off at the maximum of his second form's speed, taking advantage of the fact that Goku had not yet powered up further. Goku reacted just in time to Frieza's attempt to stab him through the chest with his horns, yet the attack still left him with a painful gash across his arm. As the pain caused Goku to falter ever slightly, Frieza capitalized on his chance, sending Goku flying off into the distance through several mountains with a powerful kick.

This matter temporarily taken care of, he turned towards Gohan, only to catch a Special Beam Cannon to the face. Although not proving to be too damaging, the angle of the beam hit his right eye, forcing it shut. With a cry of pain, Frieza was left staggered by the injury, one hand clutching the area over his right eye while the other fired off a poorly aimed ki blast. Piccolo was hit head on and sent flying, landing hard on the ground.

Gohan then flew into the fray, his rage at seeing his father and teacher in pain dramatically increasing his power. Not expecting such a massive increase, Frieza was caught off guard as Gohan smacked him upside the head with a powerful kick. While he was left reeling backwards, Gohan continued pummeling him with blows, finally hitting him in the solar plexus and causing him to wince from the sharp pain. Another powerful kick quickly sent Frieza flying through the air, before Gohan began to charge up a ball of ki in his right palm.

"RRRAAAAHHH!" he cried out before throwing the ball at the tyrant, enveloping Frieza in an explosion of yellow ki. As Frieza landed on the ground, Gohan proceeded to fire off a series of short Masenko blasts, blanketing Frieza in a series of smaller explosions and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. Gohan sat in the air panting, the boost from his anger subsiding somewhat, before a quick check confirmed what he feared: Frieza was still kicking, his ki having gone down somewhat, but not enough. The dust cleared to reveal Frieza getting up off the ground slowly, some scorch marks and patches of dried blood indicating his pain. Gohan was left frozen in apprehension as Frieza hailed the young Saiyan.

"Not bad, brat! That attack managed to hurt even me," he finished with a sneer. "Unfortunately, all you've really accomplished...was to make me even angrier." With this, the tyrant powered up even further, flying up slowly towards Gohan. Before he could reach the boy, still left frozen at the extent of Frieza's power, all of them were halted in their activities by a curious sight above them: the sky becoming pitch black in the blink of an eye, cutting out the light of Namek's three suns.

"What the-?" Frieza said aloud, not knowing what was going on. "Why has the sky become dark...?" His mind raced through the possibilities before finally arriving at an answer, one which he most certainly despised. "Oh no...no, no, no,  **NO**!" He let out a violent kiai in his rage, shaking the nearby landscape and weakening Gohan's resolve as he let out still more power. Piccolo, however, smirked, thankful that the others had managed to get their wish. No sooner had Frieza finished his tantrum than the sky returned to normal, Namek's three suns shining brightly, indicating that the Dragon Balls were gone.

"Curses!" Frieza spat out angrily. "While I was waiting for the Ginyu Force, you fools must have managed to gather all of the Dragon Balls, waiting for the right chance to make use of their power!"

Gohan, still apprehensive, refused to answer, which Frieza took as a confirmation in and of itself. He sped towards the boy, smacking him into the ground with his tail before he could react.

"And now my wish is gone! My dream of immortality..." Frieza said aloud as he pondered what to do, before chuckling. "No matter. I don't know how you used the Dragon Balls' power, but unless it was to make one of you saps immortal..." he left the sentence hanging for a moment before his scowl deepened. "I'll make sure your deaths are all the more painful."

He flew towards Gohan at top speed before he was intercepted by Piccolo, who attempted to distract him with a series of strikes. Frieza dodged all of these with ease before kneeing Piccolo in the stomach, leaving him gasping for air. Frieza was quick to notice an odd detail, finding it easy enough to focus on the fight at hand.

" _Curious...his power is still nowhere near mine, and yet, it seems to be slightly increasing with every hit."_ Deciding to ignore the observation for now, Frieza sent Piccolo flying into a far off mountain with a powerful ki blast, tearing up part of his gi and leaving him wounded as he collided with the rocks.

His mentor's suffering spurred Gohan into action in spite of his fear, flying at Frieza and attempting to land several blows on him with renewed anger. However, these too were ineffective, and Frieza was quick to grab the boy by his head and knee him in the ribs, causing him to cry out in pain as several of them gave way. Letting him go, Frieza then kicked the boy upwards into the air, sending him flying a good distance before stopping himself with the power of flight. When he looked back down, however, he realized that Frieza was nowhere to be seen.

"W-where'd he go?!" he asked aloud, his anger giving way to panic before he heard a whoosh of air behind him.

"Here I am!" Frieza replied with mock joyfulness, before elbowing him in the back of the head, sending him crashing into the ground and forming a small crater below. Gohan struggled to get up, his ribs screaming in pain while his head was left throbbing from the impact, as Frieza slowly landed inside the crater he had created. While Gohan tried and failed to move, Frieza placed a taloned foot on top of Gohan's head, thinking about his previous observation.

" _Yes...the boy, too, seems to be growing stronger, even though he has not been pushed to the brink of death,"_ Frieza thought, his expression growing somewhat puzzled for a split second before returning to normal. " _Bah. It doesn't matter. They will never grow to seriously oppose me."_ With that, he looked down upon the child with a sneer.

"You've been rather amusing, boy, but unfortunately for you, you've demonstrated precisely why I cannot allow any Saiyan to live." With this, he began to push down, causing the child to scream in agony. "Now DIE!" Frieza called out in a mixture of triumph and concealed anger at the boy's very existence. He pushed down on the child's skull with increasing intensity, only furthering his pain as Piccolo looked on, having forced himself out of the rubble of the mountain with a kiai.

" _Hang on, Gohan!"_ Piccolo thought to himself. " _I may not be powerful enough to stop him, but thanks to Kami's memories, I can put an end to this threat once and for all!"_ He reached into a storage compartment in his gi, intending to pull out a blue capsule he had prepared for the occasion...only to find it had been mostly vaporized, nothing but part of the shell and a scrap of the paper seal he had attached to the coffee maker inside remaining intact as he pulled it out. Piccolo and Kami both gasped in shock.

" _I-it must've been that last attack!"_ Kami said in Piccolo's mind. " _When the ki blast hit you, the energy tore the capsule apart!"_

Piccolo growled as he contemplated his circumstances. "D-damn it...!" he muttered angrily as he tossed aside the broken capsule. No longer having his ace in the hole, he instead fired off a two handed Special Beam Cannon, the rapidity of the attack allowing it to quickly intercept Frieza. However, even this attack managed only to faze the tyrant slightly, as if he'd been hit in the head with a small pebble. He continued crushing Gohan's skull while he held out his right arm with his palm open, grinning wickedly as he prepared to finish Piccolo off.

However, no sooner had he charged it when he heard a high pitched whine somewhere to his left. Leaping up hurriedly, he still barely managed to avoid the Kienzan intended for his head, cutting off a part of his tail instead and leaving him to wince in pain. He looked angrily towards the likely source of the attack, finding Krillin and Yamcha hovering off in the distance.

"Y-you! Of course!" Frieza remarked angrily. "And you seem to have brought some other maggot with you!"

"KIENZAN!" Krillin cried out as he threw several discs at Frieza, intending to prevent him from successfully dodging and ultimately being grievously wounded by one of them. At the same time, Yamcha bulked up into Max Power and began his own attack.

"SPIRIT BARRAGE!" he cried out before throwing ten small Spirit Balls in Frieza's direction. He then returned to normal and held out his hands, stopping all of them short. With a rapid series of movements, each finger on each hand controlled the trajectory of a different Spirit Ball, sending them flying every which way and catching the tyrant off balance. At first, Frieza's attention was divided by the numerous spheres of ki, but after gauging their level of power, he began simply swatting them aside like flies, sending them flying off in various directions at speeds too fast for Yamcha to control. Nevertheless, he managed to hit Frieza directly in the face with one, blinding him just long enough for him to duck under Krillin's last Kienzan slightly later than the others. With another wince, Frieza recoiled as he felt his horns being cut off slightly above the base, leaving only dull stubs in their place.

Frieza growled angrily as he looked up at the two, hearing the sound of something stretching behind him just in time to grab Nail's stretched arm, and promptly pulled him around to face him before hitting him savagely in the stomach, caving it in slightly as he picked him up by his gi and threw him to the ground, landing with a hard thud. Before Krillin and Yamcha could even react, Frieza was already upon them, kicking Krillin so hard that it knocked him out of the power of flight, leaving him to fall to the ground.

"SOLAR FLA-!" Yamcha began, holding out his hands in the traditional pose before Frieza grabbed him by the shoulders and headbutted him, leaving him unconscious and hurtling to earth. These minor inconveniences taken care of, Frieza was about to turn his attention back to Gohan and Piccolo when he suddenly found himself intercepted by a fist cloaked in a glowing red aura, sending him flying through the sky. Before he could even respond, Goku, having powered up to Kaio-ken Times Six and doing his best to ignore the pain in his cauterized arm, caught up to him and smacked him into a mountain. Goku touched down in front of Frieza as he blew apart the rubble with a kiai.

"You...you're no ordinary warrior, are you?" Frieza remarked, chuckling. "To think that one of you low-born monkeys managed to grow so powerful as to challenge me in this form..."

Goku simply scoffed. "You know, I'm gonna be honest, all this 'low-born' talk was annoying enough with Vegeta."

Frieza laughed, his voice deep and bellowing. "Yes, I imagine it was. So, then, why don't we focus on something else? Something like killing you, perhaps?"

Goku chuckled. "You can try."

With that, the two charged at each other, Frieza releasing the bulk of his second form's power while Goku stayed in the Kaio-ken Times Six. As each one continued to rain blow after blow upon the other, they were left at an impasse, their battle shaking the nearby rocks around them. At the same time, Piccolo, satisfied that Goku had the situation under control, moved to tend to Krillin, Yamcha, and Nail, who were left unconscious in various places throughout the area. Dende, meanwhile, approached Gohan, whose head was still swimming from the cranial trauma and other injuries.

"Don't worry, Gohan. Everything will be alright in a second," Dende replied as he put his hands over the boy's torso. Within seconds, he became enveloped in an orange light, and most of his wounds disappeared. With a slight grunt of exertion, he got back up, his head clearing as he marveled at what Dende had done. Piccolo, who had flown towards them carrying Yamcha, Krillin, and Nail with telekinesis, was similarly stunned.

"You...healed me," Gohan remarked plainly, to which Dende nodded. "When did you-?"

"Lord Guru unlocked my potential before everyone else teleported away!" Dende said excitedly, before he heard the whoosh of air behind him and turned around to look at the unconscious warriors in Piccolo's grasp. "Oh, gosh, guys!" he said in panic, while Piccolo set them down gently. One by one, Dende used his powers on them, restoring their bodies and allowing them to regain consciousness.

"Man...I knew he'd hit like a truck, but..." Yamcha said, rubbing his head with a groan. Krillin and Nail were in similar condition for a moment before they got their bearings.

"Does anyone have a plan on how to best lend our assistance?" Nail asked. Gohan, however, took a deep breath, feeling the influx of ki throughout his body due to his near-death experience, and looked off towards Frieza with a calculating glare.

"Yeah. I think I've got something," he said simply, before rocketing off as fast as he could fly. Piccolo smirked at the boy's bravado while the others looked on in shock. Meanwhile, Goku and Frieza were locked in combat, with Frieza noticing several curious details about Goku as his veins began to bulge somewhat.

" _Curious...his muscles are evidently under immense strain. Likely a side effect of this power multiplication technique of his. And yet...he too seems to be getting stronger."_ He noted this last point mere seconds before Goku hit him in the face with a stray punch, before he blocked the next few, seeking an opening to reply in kind while at the same time accepting what seemed to be a simple fact. " _Even my second form...it is quite possible that it is not strong enough to defeat this pest."_ If Frieza were unoccupied, he'd have scoffed at the notion. " _How annoying,"_ he thought dryly to himself. " _But I suppose I am left with no choice but to-"_

His thoughts were interrupted by a second figure flying onto the scene. Frieza was taken aback at the child's reappearance, while Goku was relieved that his son was okay, yet also confused as to how this was so.

" _What?! How did he get up?! I was certain he was close to death!"_ Another thought then entered his mind as Gohan began charging up yellow ki above his head. " _Close to death...oh, no."_ Frieza hurriedly attempted to get Goku off of him, headbutting him as hard as he could to make him move back a pace. However, Goku was already set upon moving backwards, sensing Gohan's impending attack. Frieza flew up to meet the child as fast as he could, only to find himself too late.

"MASENKO  **HAA**!" Gohan cried out, firing off a yellow energy wave that sent Frieza hurtling into the mountain behind him, causing a cave in that trapped him under a large mound of rubble. Gohan then landed next to his father, who was panting slightly as he dropped out of the Kaio-ken, and winced at the residual pain in his arm.

"He's...still not going down just yet," Goku got out, to which his son nodded. Goku took a deep breath before powering up to Kaio-ken Times Seven and cupping his hands in front of him in the familiar gesture. Gohan moved closer to him and followed suit, causing Goku to chuckle. "Ha! Well, I'll be! Who taught you that?"

Gohan smiled, looking up at his father. "Same guy who taught you."

Goku smiled as well, thinking of his master before feeling a jolt in his head, telling him that somebody's ki was rising. "Wait a second..." He felt around for the source before coming to rest on the rubble in front of him. His eyes widened in panic. "Aw, crap, Frieza's ki is rising fast!" Gohan and the others panicked as well, all of them thinking the same thing was about to happen. Goku began charging the Kamehameha as fast as he could, Gohan rapidly following suit as Frieza's ki grew ever larger.

"KA...ME...HA...ME..." Goku and Gohan said, only a second behind each other. Meanwhile, they could hear the tyrant's cry of exertion growing ever-louder from beneath the rubble.

"HYAAAAAAAAAH...!"

No sooner had the volume of Frieza's cry reached its crescendo than Goku and Gohan released their attacks simultaneously, forming a single blast of great power.

" **HAAAA**!" they cried in unison, the combined Kamehameha vaporizing the rubble and enveloping Frieza to such an extent that they couldn't see clearly just what he had turned into, made even worse by the debris kicked up by the attack. As the Kamehameha continued on its course, the smoke where the mountain once stood cleared, and Goku grimaced as Gohan and the others looked on in horror. They could sense that even their combined power had not been enough.

A shorter, more monstrous figure stood with his hands outstretched, evidently having blocked the attack. His nose was completely gone, having retracted back into his face somehow, while the cranial attachment on his head had morphed into an elongated form, stretching out in a bulbous curve. What was left of his horns had retracted into the shell, while his neck shrunk alongside the rest of his body. His shoulder armor partially detached from his shoulders to form wider shoulder guards, and his face had stretched out around the upper and lower lip. To top it all off, a series of blunt spikes of varying lengths, whose purpose appeared to be almost entirely cosmetic, sprouted off of his cranial shell and across his back. Most of his earlier injuries had disappeared, but the dried blood around his tail still remained, nagging him slightly. Nevertheless, however, he allowed himself a grin of satisfaction, before he addressed Goku in a raspier voice than before.

"Tell me, monkey...are you still hoping for more?"

* * *

Dang, only one chapter and we're already up to Frieza's third form! Intense!

Sorry, the release of this chapter almost slipped my mind, so I didn't give myself the same opportunities to edit it much. Hopefully it turns out okay. But, in any event, we're done with the first chapter of the final arc of this saga! Of course, with that, we're also coming close to the end of the actual chapters that I've written-I planned this out so that I'd be able to upload finished chapters through the rest of school, thus freeing up the summer to work on new content when I can. After Chapter 21, I'll have to get back into the swing of things, so your feedback will be more important here than usual. Please don't hesitate to leave your thoughts!

Anywho, time for responses!

KyuubiFan325 says:

"classic goku depends on power level multiply techniques and neglects his base"

Oh, Idk about all that. His base is still almost twice as strong as it is in canon, and Guru unlocking his potential tipped over that margin. That higher base is definitely going to come in handy later.

Ushindeshi says:

"Cool chapter. Can't believe Vegeta got his body swapped by Ginyu so easily. I hope he's not out of the fight yet. And how did Yamcha got his right arm back anyway."

Yep, that's what happens when you don't go for the head.

Also, I believe it's been stated in canon that a Senzu bean can heal a missing limb like an arm even after the tissue's been repaired in the stump, which I've been having the characters poke fun at a bit, since Yamcha was unaware of this. So, I tried to write that like how I'd imagine a human suddenly regenerating the rest of their limb through a stump like that would look, which was...gruesome, to say the least.

Alright, now for power levels!

Frieza(2nd form): 1,060,000(he does say "over" a million, after all)

Goku(base): 205,000(at present, while his power is slowly increasing the longer he fights thanks to Guru, it's not really making too much of a measurable difference just yet. As a result, his power when multiplied by different degrees of the Kaio-ken fluctuates a bit, but it should be easy to guess which levels of it curbstomp )

Gohan(enraged): 850,000

Gohan(base): 533,000

Piccolo(base): 453,000

Piccolo(full Special Beam Cannon): In the ballpark of 550,000

Frieza(3rd form): 2,120,000

Gohan(post-Zenkai): 1,200,000

Gohan(enraged): 1,900,000

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic day, and take care!


	22. The Transformation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Earth's warriors had been prepared to give everything they had to taking down Frieza, but they had been caught off guard by the tyrant's ability to transform into stronger and stronger forms. Now, as Frieza powers up to the maximum of his third form, Goku must go to the absolute maximum of his power to take him down. Will Goku manage to overpower Frieza? Will Frieza succeed in reaching his final form? And what of the Namekians on Earth, and their plan to reactivate Earth's Dragon Balls? Find out now on Hermit!

On another plane of existence some time before, King Kai stood apprehensive, watching the fight with Frieza's second form take place and mumbling nervously to himself while Roshi and Chiaotzu paused in their training to observe their new teacher. Suddenly, however, he gasped in surprise.

"Ah, yes, I forgot! The Namekians summoned their Dragon God!"

At this, Roshi and Chiaotzu's eyes widened.

"What did they wish for?" Roshi asked. King Kai scratched his head for a second before remembering.

"I believe they wished to teleport everyone but those who would stay and fight to Earth!" King Kai replied before an idea struck him, and he hesitated before shrugging his shoulders. "Not much I can do as a spectator to Goku's latest grudge match. But as for these Namekians..." he said as he shifted his telepathic focus away from Namek and towards the planet Earth, attempting to locate them before finally zeroing in on their location: a forest just outside of West City.

Bulma and the villagers milled about in confusion for a moment, getting their bearings and taking note of the bodies which surrounded them, before the Namekian Dragon Balls landed nearby, swiftly reactivating and summoning the giant figure of Porunga once more, who looked down upon the others with slight irritation.

"THERE ARE STILL TWO MORE WISHES, YOU KNOW. I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY," the dragon replied indignantly, causing the villagers and Bulma to take a step back in apprehension.

"Ah! Uh, right!" the villager who had summoned Porunga said nervously, before pausing. "Remind me, did the one called Roshi wish to be revived?"

" _Not as of yet, no."_

The villager leaped back in shock. "AH! W-who is this?!" The others looked on in confusion at the villager's antics. Roshi chuckled.

" _Right, sorry about that. Name's Roshi."_ The villager's eyes widened in understanding. " _Say, while I've got you here, you're planning on reviving Chiaotzu, right?"_

The villager calmed down somewhat, adjusting to his strange circumstances. "Um, that's correct."

" _Excellent. Please proceed immediately."_

The villager nodded, before a question came to his mind. "Wait, what about the third wish?"

" _Oh, right, you have three,"_ Roshi said before muttering something and momentarily breaking the connection. "Uh...either of you have any suggestions?"

"Hm...I'm not quite sure what could help the fighters on Namek at this point," King Kai replied as he turned his attention back to the fight. "Perhaps we could teleport Frieza to another planet?"

"Hm...Goku would hate that, although we could easily teleport the rest of them here. But that could put Goku in danger if Frieza's more than he can chew..."

"Maybe we could make them immortal?" Chiaotzu chimed in.

"Can wishes for immortality even work on groups?" Roshi asked, to which the others shrugged.

"Well, in any event, making Goku or Gohan immortal would likely negate the advantage of the Saiyan zenkai," King Kai mused. "All of the others are too weak at this point to do much against Frieza even if they were immortal. The only one who might...ah! That's it!"

"What's it?" Roshi asked.

"The kid, Dende! He's developed healing powers! Frieza will undoubtedly target him in order to stop any of them from being restored back from the brink of death!"

Roshi shrugged. "Seems like as good a wish as any." He then placed his hand onto King Kai's shoulder once more. " _You still there?"_ he asked the villager.

"Ah, yes, I'm still here."

" _Okay, here are the other two wishes. Firstly, revive Chiaotzu, and second, make Dende immortal."_

The villager cocked his head in confusion. "You're sure about this?"

" _Oh, yes."_

"Well, alright," the villager replied before the connection was broken. He looked up at the dragon, who was far more impatient than earlier.

"HAVE YOU FINALLY DECIDED ON TWO MORE WISHES?" Porunga asked, to which the villager nodded in affirmation. "OH, THANK THE KAIS."

"[Revive the Earthling known as Chiaotzu!]" the villager called out, to which the dragon nodded.

"NICE. A SIMPLE TASK FOR A CHANGE."

In an instant, the halo above Chiaotzu's head disappeared, and he was left to float around gleefully on King Kai's planet.

"Sorry for making you arrange your own transportation down there, but since Kami brought your body back up here..." Roshi trailed off, and Chiaotzu nodded in understanding before Roshi held up a hand. "Actually, now that I think about it...I might know a woman."

While Roshi thought this over, the villager on Earth asked for the third wish to be cast.

"[Now, make the Namekian child known as Dende immortal!]"

Porunga again nodded. "A SIMPLE MATTER," he said before his eyes glowed, indicating that the final wish had been cast. "NOW, FAREWELL!" he shouted as he disappeared in a burst of light, and the seven Namekian Dragon Balls hovered up straight into the air for a moment before falling back down as nothing but large, inert rocks. As the sky shifted back to its regular afternoon shade, the villagers breathed a sigh, working out what exactly they were going to do now. Bulma, meanwhile, pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hi, daddy, I-yes, daddy, I'm back. Long story involving Dragon Balls and big muscly people punching each other. Look, can you just-daddy, please, do not do this again. I'm just trying to-DADDY I AM OKAY!" Bulma took a deep breath. "Look, can you just make room in one of the storage rooms, maybe bring in some beds and a  **lot** of water? I've got about 20 Namekians with me who may wind up without a home in the next hour or so and need somewhere to crash. Not to mention a lot of bodies. ...I'll explain later, can you please just get the room ready? ...Yeah, we probably should bring a copter for them, huh? ...Thank you, daddy. I love you, too. Bye." With that, she hung up, and addressed the Namekian villagers.

"Alright, so my dad is going to arrange for you all to stay at Capsule Corp, so if you can all just wait for the helicopter to arrive, I'll-" she paused when she noticed Tsuno and the Namekian warriors on edge. "What's up?"

"A significant ki signature is approaching our position from the city," one of the warriors responded.

"From West City...oh! Oh, guys, it's okay! It's probably Tien Shinhan!" Bulma replied with a smile. "Gotta say, I'm surprised he's back up flying already..."

No sooner had she said this than Tien himself touched down near them, ki primed for battle, but relaxing slightly when he saw Bulma among the crowd. "Let me guess-long story?" Tien asked candidly. Bulma nodded, to which Tien nodded in turn before turning to the Namekians. "My apologies, but when a couple ki signatures not too far below my own pop up out of nowhere a couple miles away..."

"A sensible precaution," the warrior replied, holding out his hand, which Tien accepted. After a moment, he noticed the large rocks.

"So those were the Dragon Balls you were using earlier," he said, to which Bulma nodded.

"Even better, the elders say they can restore our Dragon Balls!" Bulma said cheerfully, to which Tien's eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that so? Curious," he remarked. Tsuno nodded in confirmation.

"I just need to know where the balls' material focus is or where each individual ball is located, and I can begin the process."

"Material focus?" Tien asked, to which Tsuno nodded.

"Every set of Dragon Balls has a certain material focus which channels their magic. In the case of ours, that focus is simply the body of the elder whose life has been tied into the balls. If yours are the same, I should be able to recreate that process by using my own body as a new material focus."

Tien sighed. "Well, you may not have heard, but ours spread out all over the world whenever they're used, and when inert, they look like ordinary rocks. Finding them that way would be pretty difficult. However...there  **is** someone who knows more about the Dragon Balls than I do. He might know a way to speed things up," he said, pointing up in the general direction of the Lookout.

"Ah. I had sensed a fairly significant ki signature coming from that position," Tsuno replied. "I will go up to meet with this person. Please be sure to look after Lord Guru while I-Lord Guru!" he suddenly cried out as Guru began coughing violently, rushing to his side along with some of the other Namekians. Guru waved them all away.

"Be at peace, my sons. I...knew this day would come."

"L-lord Guru, please!" one of the villagers responded. "W-what if you were to fuse with one of us?! Or, i-if you can hold on, we can restart their Dragon Balls and use them to-!"

Guru shook his head. "I appreciate the sentiment, but...everything has a season. With Kami's fusion, I am the last survivor of a bygone era. My time...has come. My responsibility, throughout my entire life, has always been to ensure that you all live to continue my legacy."

Tears sprung to the villagers' eyes as they saw their father slipping away. Guru rested a hand on Tsuno's head, who was crying harder than any of them.

"Tsuno...my firstborn son," Guru said with a smile. "I know how deeply this pains you, but...I hope that this will be some small consolation." Suddenly, Tsuno felt his ki released to a greater extent than before, while at the same time centuries of memories and experiences flooded into his mind. He stared at his father in a mixture of wonder and pure sadness. Guru simply chuckled.

"Well...hopefully you'll find at least a bit of that useful," he remarked wryly before he grew somber once more. "Look after them, Tsuno. Protect them...from whatever danger may come. Whatever may come of our home, of our culture, promise me...that you will do everything in your power to preserve it."

Tsuno nodded wordlessly, tears clouding his vision, as Guru smiled one last time at his children. Then, in a blur of motion, Guru was gone, his body having been transported to a higher plane. The villagers were left to mourn their father for some time before Tsuno eventually dried his eyes and looked to his people.

"There is still one more task I must complete, so that we may be united with our fallen brothers. Wait here," he commanded, and the people obeyed, prompting him to take off into the sky in the direction of the Lookout. The other villagers looked on sadly, while Bulma and Tien stood there awkwardly, unsure of how exactly to cheer them up. Fortunately, however, a distraction from their troubles soon presented itself, albeit not a very pleasant one.

"GET BACK INTO BED THIS INSTANT YOU THREE-EYED BASTARD!" a woman's voice could be heard screaming in the distance, upsetting the local wildlife. The situation wasn't made any better by the gunshots she was firing into the air at random intervals. Bulma had to resist the urge to burst out laughing, while Tien simply sighed in annoyance.

"Oh! And just who might that be?" she asked sarcastically. Tien chuckled dryly before giving her a frank answer.

"My girlfriend."

* * *

Frieza stood before the group with a triumphant grin, while Goku and the others sensed the tyrant's ki with apprehension.

" _This is bad! From what I'm sensing, he could go toe to toe with me at Times Ten! I'm not even sure if that's his maximum!"_

Before he could think on the problem further, Frieza moved behind him faster than he could see, and he was forced to test his assumption firsthand.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES TEN!" he cried out in the nick of time, powering up just enough to take an incoming punch to the face which sent him flying past the vaporized remains of the mountain. Frieza moved to fly after him, but found himself rushed by Gohan, not quite capturing the power of his earlier rage boosts and consequently finding himself winded by a knee to the stomach. No sooner had he left Gohan gasping for air than Goku came back and hit Frieza with a powerful downward strike which sent him reeling back a pace. The two then flew up into the air simultaneously, each one trying to land a decisive hit on the other and finding every single blow parried. Piccolo rushed to aid Gohan while the rest of the warriors looked up at the scene with concern.

"Damn!" Krillin remarked worriedly. "Goku's too close...and they're both moving so fast...I can't risk using my Kienzan!"

"At this point, that's the only attack we have that's even done much more than annoy him," Yamcha added bitterly. "All that talk about doing whatever we can do, and yet..."

"'Whatever we can do' is not much at all," Nail replied, bitter himself at how useless he had become in the fight to protect his world.

Meanwhile, Goku and Frieza continued to struggle, Goku slowly gaining the upper hand in Kaio-ken Times Ten, but not without a persistent problem rearing its ugly head.

" _Damn it! Guru's unlocking thing is unlocking more of my power as I fight, but at the same time, using the Kaio-ken at different levels this entire fight is starting to wear down on me! And he isn't letting up in the slightest!"_ Goku thought as he narrowly avoided a punch. " _I have no choice! I've got to hike it up even more!"_ Goku and Frieza continued to exchange blows while Goku thought out his plan, each of them wounded by stray hits slipping through the cracks. " _It seems like I have to power up by increasing amounts for each level of the Kaio-ken to be used safely, but between my training and Guru unlocking my potential...I_ should  _be capable of a bit more by now!"_ No sooner had he thought this than Frieza landed a powerful hit to Goku's torso which he couldn't quite react to, causing the tyrant to chuckle.

"Well, well, well! It would seem that the drawback of this multiplication technique of yours is finally beginning to outpace the gradual increase in your power!"

" _Crap! He noticed!"_ Goku thought as Frieza continued.

"I must admit, Son Goku, I'm surprised you lasted this long against my third form. True, the maximum power you hold with this technique is nothing compared to my full power, but to prove an even match for this form is no easy feat. I had long assumed that nobody would surpass the power of Captain Ginyu, and yet so many of you have risen far beyond that point. The bald one, your Namekian friend, your spawn, Vegeta...and, of course, you yourself, now several times stronger than even Ginyu's new body." Frieza chuckled again before his lips curled into a sneer. "All the more reason to wipe you insolent monkeys off the face of the universe."

Before Frieza could move towards him again, Goku gritted his teeth. It was now or never.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWELVE!" he cried out.

"Wait, times what-?" Frieza said in confusion before he was hit across the jaw by a powerful punch which sent him flying through the air. Before he could react, Goku was already upon him, first kicking him hard enough to send him flying through the air and then flying up to meet him with an elbow to the chest, winding him severely. As he gasped in pain, Goku continued raining down blows which Frieza was only barely able to react to. Although he blocked some of them, by and large Frieza was suffering fairly significant amounts of damage.

However, this too came at a cost, which Goku could feel all too well as his muscles screamed in protest. Knowing he had to end the fight fast, Goku sent Frieza flying down into the ground with a downward strike, before charging up a hasty Kamehameha and firing it down at the tyrant. Frieza was able to respond with his own energy wave, fighting back with all the power he could muster in his current state. Although the Kamehameha overpowered the beam initially, the struggle between the two was prolonged enough to cause Goku intense amounts of pain, causing him to falter in his concentration for only a second. However, this second was all the tyrant needed to gain a massive lead, and his Death Cannon swiftly overpowered Goku's Kamehameha.

Realizing he couldn't hope to win even after reestablishing his focus, Goku flew to the right at the last second as he shut off the attack, causing the Death Cannon to fly off into space unimpeded. Before he could even think about powering up again, Frieza was already on him, savagely kicking him into the ground and causing him to tumble around for a great distance, only accentuating the pain of his injuries. Frieza sneered as he pointed a finger at the fallen Saiyan, ready to end his life once and for all.

* * *

Across the planet, Ginyu walked anxiously throughout the corridors of Frieza's ship, inexplicably worried for his master. Frieza was the strongest in the universe, this he knew well, and yet...it hadn't just been one single power whose sheer magnitude had destroyed his scouter when he tried to read it. All of those three warriors were beyond what he had been, and what he was capable of now. Providing assistance to his master was out of the question-Frieza saw such suicidal endeavors as a waste of valuable resources. He also considered traveling to the location of his men to confirm whether they were alive, but...Frieza had already determined they were as good as dead. For all he knew, the people he was fighting now killed them on the way there. And besides, he had been assigned the task of guarding the ship. He couldn't abandon the post his master had ordered him to fill.

Thus, Ginyu patrolled around the halls, the third such circuit he had made since his scouter exploded, before he found himself overcome by an immense feeling of exhaustion. " _When was the last time this body had slept?"_ he thought idly before stumbling slightly. "No. No!" he said aloud. "I have to...focus! I have to...force myself awake!" He slapped himself in the head as he said this to jolt himself, the effect lasting only a few seconds. "To stay alert...for Lord Frieza..." he muttered as his body simply gave up after days of little food, no water, and no sleep while under Vegeta's care. He collapsed against a wall in the hallway, desperately fighting his exhaustion and failing miserably, his ki dropping rapidly from his previous alert level to a more relaxed magnitude. No sooner had he truly begun to drift off than he heard a high pitched whine. The next thing he knew, he felt something hot tear through his chest, and his eyes widened suddenly to see a grisly sight before him.

Vegeta stood there, still in Ginyu's old body, with all of the same injuries Vegeta had inflicted upon it previously, worsened by the exertion of traveling to the ship based on what he'd been able to gather from his limited energy sensing. His finger was extended, showing he had launched a finger beam into Ginyu's chest. He chuckled to himself.

"I knew you had to drop from exhaustion sooner or later, Ginyu!" he announced triumphantly. "Now...give me back what is rightfully mine."

"V-Vegeta?!" Ginyu cried out in shock. "H-how could you possibly-?!"

"Never underestimate a Saiyan's tenacity, bootlicker," Vegeta replied. "Now give me back my body!"

Ginyu grimaced. "N-never!"

"The wound I inflicted is severe. You can't hope to last long."

"Neither can you!" Ginyu replied.

"True. But I'll last longer. Long enough to stumble into one of the older healing tanks, anyway." Ginyu's eyes widened. "Oh, yes. I know. I made sure of it while you were busy pacing. And by all means, you're welcome to try getting to them as you are. But if I'm right, you're not nearly as strong as you could be, and I assure you, I won't make it easy."

"But you could make it, if you got your body back?" Ginyu asked. "In that case, better to use what strength I have to finish you off, then take my chances!"

"You would be so quick to throw away your own life just to kill me?"

"About as quick as you are...to throw yours away...to get your body back."

"You're starting to lose consciousness, Ginyu. You seriously believe you'll make it, with those injuries, and with the pitiful percentage of my power that you've drawn out? Now, were you in  **this** wrecked body, you  **might** make it to the tank, or to one of the pods outside to stabilize yourself. But in mine, you don't have a chance."

Ginyu's eyes widened in fear as he considered this. "H-how do I know...you won't just kill me when I switch us back?"

"Well, if you're worried about my having enough strength to finish you off, you could always do more damage to yourself. But...well. Fine tuning these things is  **so** tricky," he drawled. "You might just wind up killing yourself. And, of course, I could always reply in kind." As he said this, he charged up ki in his left arm, and drove it into his chest, allowing some blue blood to seep out as he winced in pain, blood trickling from his mouth. "You're out of time, Ginyu! Switch us back!" he cried through gritted teeth. Ginyu panicked for a moment, considering his options as he felt his life force seeping away. He let out a cry of anger and fear before shouting out the two words he needed to say.

"CHANGE  **NOW**!" he cried, allowing a yellow beam to burst forth from his mouth and into Vegeta's, switching the two of them to their normal bodies. Vegeta slumped forward, seeming to have passed out from the blood loss, while Ginyu hurriedly cauterized his chest wound with a burst of ki. Not wanting to waste the time of checking if Vegeta was really out, Ginyu hurriedly flew outside towards the pods-an action he wouldn't have the time to regret as a finger beam pierced his skull from behind, exiting right between his eyes. Ginyu soundlessly fell forward as Vegeta dragged himself up, clutching his bleeding chest.

"Like I said..." he muttered weakly, " **Never** underestimate a Saiyan's tenacity."

With that, he looked off in the direction he knew the old healing tanks were: a level below, to the left. With this in mind, Vegeta flew through the bulkheads, crashing into the room with a thud. With a supreme effort, Vegeta dragged himself up and into a tank, executing the activation sequence remotely with a small kiai directed at the control panel. This accomplished, Vegeta rolled his head back and let his consciousness slip away as the tank filled, already beginning to work upon healing his wounds. He felt a vague sensation in his head now that he could properly sense energy again-powers beyond his comprehension, struggling for dominance. He recognized one of them based on the feel of his ki-Frieza, much greater than he had been. With no explanation for how this was so, Vegeta was left pondering the other ki signature that had seemed to be equal to Frieza's power. He had only one explanation, and he let out a half-formed curse as he considered the implications.

"Ka...ka...rot..." he muttered before he finally slipped away.

* * *

Frieza grinned maliciously as he charged the finger beam, but no sooner had he just about readied himself to fire than Krillin threw a quick Kienzan at him. This attack was easily avoided, and Frieza responded swiftly with a localized kiai, sending Krillin flying off into the distance. Frieza prepared a finger beam once more, only to find himself intercepted by an enraged Gohan, who had flown above his position while he was distracted.

"WHY WON'T YOU JUST  **DROP ALREADY**?!" the boy screamed, charging up another variation of his signature Masenko technique. Unlike the previous version, this one was fired off as a massive, crackling sphere of yellow ki, one which swiftly collided with Frieza and sent him slowly moving towards the ground. With no ability to sense energy, Frieza was left surprised at the sheer power on display, and found himself grunting furiously attempting to repel the attack. While Frieza was occupied, Goku reached out telepathically to anyone who would listen.

" _Piccolo! Nail! Krillin! Yamcha! I need one of you to get to me as fast as you can!"_

Piccolo and Nail heard the call, but as Yamcha was the closest to where Goku had landed, it was he who ultimately responded while Dende flew over to try and treat Goku's injuries. "What do you need, Goku?"

Goku held up a hand to stop Dende from healing him as he shakily got to his feet. "Not yet," he said before coughing violently.

"B-but Goku, you've been hurt! You need treatment!"

"The damage I've endured...isn't enough," Goku replied. "I see now...none of us can beat him as we are."

"B-but Gohan is-!" Yamcha began before Goku chuckled.

"Gohan's close...really close," he said, pride seeping into his voice. "But it's...not enough. His attack has only worked this long...because of Frieza's injuries."

Yamcha's eyes widened, connecting the dots of Goku's reasoning. "He keeps getting stronger every time he almost dies..."

"Apparently Saiyans do that," Goku remarked with a weak chuckle. "Not sure how it works, but..."

"You don't seriously want me to-!"

"We don't have a choice!" Goku said, more forcefully as he coughed in pain. "It's...the only way I'll become strong enough...to beat him once he transforms again!"

Yamcha paled. "A-again?" he asked in a nervous whisper before returning to his main objection. "B-but surely there's some other way you can match up to his power?!"

Goku shook his head. "Frieza's hurt, but even if...Dende healed me as I am now...I'm not certain I could win. The guy's made of some pretty tough stuff. But...more than that...it feels like a waste."

Yamcha cocked his head. "A waste?"

"To not fight him at his strongest. To not see what the strongest guy in the universe is capable of."

Yamcha was confused, to say the least. "S-shouldn't it be more important to stop him from killing anyone else?!"

Goku weakly shrugged. "No reason I can't do both."

Yamcha stared at him for a minute before sighing. "You've always been a really weird guy, Goku. But, if this is really what you want..." He stepped back a few paces and charged up every last bit of energy he had into his palm. Goku likewise dropped his energy all the way down to zero, rendering him vulnerable. With a nervous gulp and a nod from Goku, Yamcha made his move, screwing his eyes shut.

Dende hovered nearby, nervous as to what he was going to have to do, before he suddenly felt a large surge of...something, throughout his body, which the others didn't seem to have noticed.

"Wait, what the heck was-?!" Dende began just as Yamcha fired the blast, piercing Goku's chest easily and causing him to fall to the ground, sputtering blood from the wound. Dende was on him in an instant, shaking off his earlier surprise. No sooner had Dende gotten to Goku's side than Frieza had finally pushed back Gohan's attack, leaving Gohan to take the blast head on. In the nick of time, Piccolo fired off a ki blast with all of his energy, mustering up just enough power to knock the ball off course and into space. Gohan stared down at Frieza breathlessly for a moment before the tyrant appeared behind him, kicking him into the ground now that his rage boost had subsided. As luck would have it, Gohan crashed directly into Dende just as he was able to heal Goku, leaving him pinned for some time as Gohan was left on the ground in pain. Frieza looked over the group with satisfaction, before making an announcement as he settled down onto the ground.

"Well! It would seem that I'm just about equipped to deal with you all in this form, but I believe it would be more instructive to show you just how far the gap between our powers really is!" Frieza sneered as he began charging energy one final time. "Now, prepare...for my final transformation!"

Frieza put in every inch of focus he had into completing his final transformation, while the others were left unsure what to do. Gohan was the first to spring into action, albeit hindered by his injuries. He hovered up in the air and fired off ki blast after ki blast at the tyrant, hoping to interrupt the transformation. Yamcha quickly left Goku's side and responded in kind, entering into Max Power and hitting him with everything he had. Unfortunately, even after a rain of energy attacks, Frieza was left smirking as he continued to transform.

"Damn it! His ki's already risen too much for any of us to hurt him!" Yamcha said angrily. "Agh, come on, Goku! Get us out of this!"

Dende, meanwhile, was finally able to get over to Goku and fully heal him after some time. Goku slowly got up again with a slight headache, and began to sense the ki flowing through his body. Unbeknownst to him, Frieza was watching the exchange intensely out of the corner of his eye, and smiled as one who finally understood a puzzling problem. Goku smiled as well as he stretched out his arms, bracing himself for combat before addressing everyone.

"Hey! You guys need to get out of here while you have the chance!"

The others turned to Goku in surprise.

"W-what are you talking about? We can't just leave you here!" Yamcha replied.

"Don't worry! If this last transformation is anything like the others, I'll have him whooped in no time!"

Frieza sneered as Goku attempted to get his friends to leave. " _Don't be so sure,_ monkey."

Goku let out the full extent of his base power to demonstrate what he meant, causing the others to gasp in astonishment as they sensed his energy.

"W-whoa..." Gohan said breathlessly.

"To think anyone could have such power..." Nail added. Piccolo growled, his disappointment evident as he compared Goku's might to his own.

"After finally surpassing you, now...now I am beaten  **twice** ," he remarked bitterly, Kami attempting to console him in his mind. After a moment, Piccolo sighed and addressed the others as well. "Goku's correct! We're just collateral damage at this point!" Yamcha, Gohan, and Nail looked between Piccolo and Goku with uncertainty before sighing in acceptance, and offering what encouragement they could.

"You've got this, Goku!"

"Be careful, daddy!"

"The hopes of the entire universe ride on you!"

With that, they took off, Nail moving towards Dende to pick him up as the others landed next to them, planning out where to go.

"Do not worry," Piccolo said. "Our ship is not too far from here. We should be able to get there fairly quickly if we leave now." No sooner had he said this than Frieza's ki exploded into a massive burst, the signal that his final transformation was complete. The others looked on with apprehension as Goku stood the tyrant down, currently cast in a layer of smoke. Although none of them could tell, even Goku was somewhat nervous at the tyrant's power.

" _It...doesn't feel like much more than his last form, but...it also feels like he's holding back,"_ he thought to himself. " _Let's hope that he isn't holding back too much-"_

No sooner had the thought entered his head than Frieza suddenly fired a finger beam which soared through the sky too fast for any of the warriors assembled to track. Before anyone could even react, Nail, who had been standing slightly to Dende's left, suddenly burst into flames, dying almost instantly as his charred body fell backwards next to Dende. The others looked on in horror while Frieza simply grimaced at the failure of missing his target. Goku especially looked at the figure who finally became visible from the cover of smoke.

Contrary to what any of them were expecting, Frieza's final form returned him to a humanoid appearance, ditching the spikes seen in his previous forms. With the exception of simple arm and leg guards, all of the natural armor his previous forms possessed was gone, while his facial features took on a greater resemblance to his first form, once again possessing a nose and thin, piercing red eyes. He stood taller than in his third form, but not quite as tall as his second, and his feet and ears retained their curious shape. Various areas of his body, such as his shoulders and the tip of his head, were purple in color and somewhat bulbous in texture, including a curious section around his chest, which may have served as some kind of natural chest guard. Every other part of his body was solid white, and unlike his second form, his muscles were only somewhat substantial, showing that he was powerful yet not necessarily trained extensively in combat. Most significantly, all of his earlier wounds had healed, including his tail, which had now been fully restored from its earlier damage. Frieza sneered as the warriors looked upon the monstrous amount of ki which he was allowing them to see, this too a simple glimpse at the potential of his true form.

"Now...you will know a fear worse than death itself."

* * *

Final Form, here we goooo!

Alright, we're at the end of the chapters that I had written in advance about a month ago, but I've been working on the next couple in the interim. Should be ready on time, with another one or two down the pipeline. I gave some thought to trying to keep up a weekly update schedule over the summer, but honestly, I think it's just better this way, as this schedule lets me work at the pace I want without being too taxed by the demand for constant updates. At this pace, I  **know** I will have a chapter ready for you guys, every time. One thing the summer may allow me to do, though, is update my other Dragon Ball fic, Forgotten Son, on alternate Sundays, so that's cool(and yes, this  **is**  an invitation to go check that out if you're interested).

In the meantime, though, FF responses!

Anonymously96 says:

"I'm guessing Gohan got a zenkai putting him at around 800000 or so

Frieza will probably beat Goku to a pulp first, he can sustain times 10 kaioken but it is kind of tough to keep sustained for very long unless he makes his base stronger and more capable to handle the strain  
Wonder what Vegeta's doing and how he'll get his body back

Update soon"

Yeah, sorry, forgot to add in Gohan's power level post-Zenkai. And it looks like your other questions were more or less answered here-Goku can keep up Times Ten for a while, and even go beyond to Times Twelve, but it screws him up. And Vegeta survived and took advantage of Ginyu falling asleep and losing his energy to mortally wound him.

Ushindeshi says: "Interesting chapter." Why, thank you! I'm glad you think so!

Guest says:

"Not very good, goku and gohan are severely ooc (frieza too). Two handed special beam cannon? You're slipping."

Your input is noted, but without a more clear description on what you find off about their characterization here, I'm not entirely sure what I can do to alleviate that concern.

As for the two handed Special Beam Cannon, that is indeed a thing Piccolo does. If you go back to the Saiyan Saga, during the scene where Piccolo attempts to fire on Nappa as he falls through the sky, he fires out a two-handed energy wave that looks and acts like a weaker, rapid-fire version of the Special Beam Cannon. This attack intrigued me based on its general premise-a faster, albeit much weaker version of his signature move-and so, I decided to have him employ it from time to time. I'm not really sure what you're taking issue with there. It's literally an attack taken straight from the manga, the end all, be all of Dragon Ball canon up until the end of Z. Or, perhaps, Dragon Ball  _Cannon_. Eh? Eh?

Now, this chapter was a first for me in that, more than any other previous chapter, I got a lot of reviews for older chapters in between the last chapter and this one. It seemed like too much of a hassle to go back and edit all the docs both here and on Ao3, or to post them all here, so I've decided to simply post the highlights of each person's reviews.

GhostKing666 says in Chapter 2:

"Eh, while the Time Chamber's gravity is bad, it's not the only thing that makes using the Chamber so difficult. There's also the thin atmosphere(though the Lookout is the same there), the massive temperature changes from firestorm to blizzard that can occur at the drop of a hat. And finally, my personal favorite, the fact that the chamber is a virtual void of white that seems to go on for infinity, something that can be particularly taxing if your dumb enough to go in by yourself and aren't used to long periods of complete isolation. All in all, I'd say the Chambers high gravity is probably the least difficult aspect of it."

That is a good point, and one which I admit I might not have fully considered. However, I think to the humans, at this point in the story, the gravity would ultimately end up being the biggest obstacle. True, they're a lot more powerful than Goku is when he lands on King Kai's planet, but consider: Saiyans are  **born** on a planet with ten times Earth gravity, the same gravity as in the chamber. Their bodies are naturally designed to operate in such an environment-thus, gravity training is a lot easier for Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta. Humans like Yamcha and Tien are built to live on Earth-so while the mechanics of the Dragon Ball universe allow for them to eventually adapt to and benefit from gravity training, the initial threshold they'd need to pass to go through ten times gravity training would naturally be much higher than Goku's. As a result, especially when taking the other factors you mentioned into consideration, they aren't quite ready for the chamber at that time.

Chapter 10:

"Yeah, Ima call bullshit in the idea that the senzu beans cant heal Tien. True the beans cant heal maiming but anything else is good. The beans could heal a broken neck(see Gohan vs Recoome), they shouldn't have a problem with getting Tien out of his coma just because his body is thrashed."

Wait, they can't heal maiming? I could've sworn they could regenerate a severed arm-at least according to some throwaway line Future Trunks says talking about Future Gohan. If they truly can't...hm, that could have canon issues later.

As for the other thing, yeah, I agree I screwed up there. At the time, my thought process was basically, "The damage Tien has suffered is so severe that he'll live, but needs a wish from the Dragon Balls to restore him to health." I was basically trying to give more incentive for the gang to go to Namek, but not only is such a scenario not really possible when Senzu beans exist, it's also not necessary. Two of their friends are permanently dead-that's reason enough. In subsequent chapters, I retconned that statement as Yamcha misinterpreting Korin's explanation of the Senzu beans' capabilities and ran with that as its own little comedic gag, in a sense poking fun at both Yamcha and myself. Anywho, my apologies for the slip up.

Bardock's Other Son says in Chapter 1:

"Loved the intro great way to start things up."

Honestly, everyone compliments me on the intro to this fic, and tbh? I'm not entirely sure why. I mean, it does a decent enough job setting the stakes and nobody's really out of character, but I also got some stuff wrong and the whole thing feels off compared to my more recent chapters. It feels like I wrote most of it at 3 am(probably because I think I actually did =P). Idk, glad y'all liked it, anyway.

Chapter 6:

"Heck yeah good on Tien, so glad to see him get redeemed for once, I always hated how the humans got pushed aside for the Saiyans so early on."

Yup, that scene sticks out to me even now, looking back on how things have developed over time. It just felt like what he deserved, and with that extra arm and Max Power, Tien's way stronger than he was before. Stay tuned for future chapters-I've got some developments planned out for the humans that I think you'll enjoy.

Chapter 9:

"Great way to keep me going on this story, I am missing the presence of Master Roshi, but it is still a very well written story keep it up"

Yeah, in hindsight, I kinda wish I'd included a cut or two to Roshi in subsequent chapters, but don't worry, he'll come into the spotlight again soon enough.

Chapter 21:

"Great job!, truly loving the spins you putting on it, can't wait to see more of it!"

Thanks! Glad to see people are liking the twists I've been making thus far.

Anyway, on to power levels!

Gohan(Enraged): 1,800,000

Frieza(3rd form): 2,120,000

Goku(Times Twelve Kaio-ken): 2,520,000

Realized I forgot to include Krillin or Yamcha before. With all this fighting they've done, I'd say 20,000 for Krillin and 18,000 for Yamcha is fair.

Frieza(final form): Jumps between about 2,500,000 and 6,000,000 from completing the transformation to firing the Death Beam.

Goku(post-Zenkai): 4,300,000(I'd say he's stronger than his zenkai from canon on account of his greater level of power, greater degree of physical training, and his expectations regarding Frieza's own power, which he had been led to believe would double based on what he could sense of his prior forms. As a result, his body prepared him to dominate Frieza in base, nevermind the Kaio-ken. But, unfortunately, his body might have miscalculated a smidge. ;) )

With all that said, thank you guys for reading, as always, and I'll see you next time. Take care, everybody.


	23. The Unstoppable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite their best efforts, Frieza has transformed into his final form, and promises to be a much greater challenge than before. However, he's not the only one who's undergone a significant transformation. Can Goku prove a match for this seemingly unstoppable tyrant, or will he merely prolong his own demise? Find out now on Hermit!

Tsuno flew as fast as he could through the blue skies of Earth, idly sensing and observing the gigantic mass of people beneath him.

" _I scarcely imagined there would be so many of them,_ " he thought to himself. " _I wonder...yes. Yes, I finally have an answer now._ " In his mind, he could see an image: Namekians, hundreds more than he had ever seen in his own lifetime, going about their lives farming hydrangea plants and making pleasant conversation in a large village. In the distance, Tsuno saw a structure he recognized: Guru's home, what seemed to be the largest structure for miles, and which overlooked the village below it. " _So...this was what our planet was like before the drought,_ " he mused, his thoughts darkening as he considered all of the Namekians who died during the drought, and the death of his own father. He had been the last who had lived in that glorious time. Now, all that was left was memories.

He suddenly found himself jolted out of his thoughts as a figure suddenly appeared right next to him, sitting atop what looked to be a floating carpet.

"You know, you could've just waited on the ground," Mr. Popo pointed out as Tsuno instinctively flew back a pace before calming down.

"Ah. I see. You are the one I sensed."

"That is correct," Mr. Popo replied before beckoning for Tsuno to step onto the floating carpet. Tsuno hesitated for a second before complying, and soon found himself almost yanked out of his current position and thrust onto the edge of a large circular platform high up in the sky by an invisible force. After taking a moment to get his bearings, Tsuno slowly stepped off of the carpet and onto the marble tile, with Mr. Popo stepping down next to him.

"Well, from what I understand, locating your inert Dragon Balls will be somewhat tricky, but that carpet of yours will likely speed up the process," Tsuno began. Mr. Popo simply smiled.

"Oh, don't worry. Restoring the Dragon Balls should be quite simple." Before Tsuno could say anything else, Mr. Popo stepped back onto his carpet and disappeared. After a minute, he returned holding what looked like a massive snowglobe, but without any snow. A small statue of Shenron sat inside, as if it alone contained the very life force of Shenron. Tsuno regarded it for a second as understanding dawned. Mr. Popo smiled again, and set the statue down onto the floor before taking a few steps back. Tsuno likewise sat down with his legs crossed, taking several deep breaths as he prepared himself for his task.

With one final thrust of his hands, Tsuno sent waves of energy into the statue, causing it to glow bright yellow as a massive plume of energy erupted from it. This plume soared high above the Lookout before breaking up into seven smaller plumes which soared off towards the ground in different directions and at different angles. After a minute or two, Tsuno felt a jolt throughout his entire body: the signal that his life force had become directly connected with the Earth's Dragon Balls, now that they were active once more.

"It is done," he said. Mr. Popo nodded.

"Then it is time for me to collect the Dragon Balls," Mr. Popo replied. "It will not take me too long. You are more than welcome to return to your people in the interim. I will teleport back to you all once my task has been completed."

Tsuno nodded, taking Mr. Popo's hand as the two of them vanished from the Lookout.

* * *

Nobody dared to move a muscle as the true form of Frieza stared them down, his red eyes shining with a particularly sinister intensity. Dende hovered over the charred form of Nail, clutching at his remains as he looked in horror at the damage Frieza had done. Frieza, meanwhile, sighed with evident irritation.

"Now...let's try and get it right this time," he said to himself, firing off another finger beam directly at Dende, who promptly exploded in a burst of flame. The group, left unable to react in time, all turned around in shock at the sound of Dende's scream of terror. However, after a moment, the smoke kicked up by the fireball cleared and Dende was left standing over Nail's body, completely unharmed save for his clothes being tattered by the blast.

"Agh! What  **was** that?!" he cried out breathlessly, in a mixture of terror and confusion. Frieza and the others simply looked on, dumbfounded.

"That...was supposed to kill you," Frieza said simply before his eyes widened in fury. "Oh my stars, you had the power of the Dragon Balls at your disposal and you wasted it on that tiny slug?! This is  **unbelievable**!"

As Frieza went into an angry tirade, Goku sent a message to everyone telepathically: " _Guys, get out of here, now!_ " The other warriors promptly took off into the sky, with Yamcha carrying Nail's body and Piccolo carrying Dende as they attempted to escape. Frieza cut his outburst short as he caught sight of the others leaving, and held up his right arm, charging up a ki blast. However, so focused was he on the fleeing targets that he failed to notice Goku putting his hands to his face.

"SOLAR FLARE!" he cried out, sending forth a wave of blinding light which caused Frieza to screw his eyes shut in agony before firing wide, missing the group by a good distance. With this proverbial kick in the pants, the group took off at top speed, quickly vacating the area. Before Frieza could fully open his eyes again, Goku decided to seize upon his advantage.

"Kaio-ken Times Two!" he said, experiencing only a brief jolt from the shift in power before rushing forwards, intending to plant Frieza into the rock face with a powerful punch. With Frieza distracted, the attack landed perfectly, and Frieza was sent flying backwards into a mountain. Goku allowed himself a smirk for slipping past Frieza's guard, only for the mountain to be vaporized instantly in an intense wave of ki. When the light cleared, Goku could sense Frieza emerging, with power far greater than he had been able to sense initially.

" _He's definitely been holding back,_ " Goku thought worriedly. " _Times Two didn't even faze him! Looks like I'll have to kick it up a notch!"_

As Goku considered this, Frieza's eyes finally readjusted from their earlier damage, and he looked at Goku with a sneer.

"So...you're beginning to get an idea of what you're dealing with," Frieza said, phrasing it as a statement rather than a question. Goku nodded.

"Earlier...when you fired on the others, I sensed that you increased your power beyond mine, so-"

"So you powered up to twice your own base power, believing that would be enough to overpower me," Frieza finished with subdued glee. "Unfortunately for you, I'm far more powerful than that. And based on what I've observed of this multiplication technique of yours, I can now extrapolate your base power-a mere fraction of my own." He furrowed his brow for a minute, considering something important before smirking. "Even with your technique, your power is still nowhere near my maximum limit."

Goku smirked himself. "Is that so? We'll just have to see, then, won't we?"

Frieza chuckled, his eyes evaluating Goku with a mixture of contempt and amusement. "I suppose we shall. Which, I presume, is precisely what you wanted." Goku's slight smile in response was telling, and made Frieza laugh. "I thought so! You cheeky monkeys are so delightfully primitive! I must confess that I too would not mind a true challenge to test my abilities. Nobody's ever put a speck of dust on me in this form-save for my parents. I can't say I ever would've expected a similar feat from such a primitive creature. And I know that's nowhere near the best you can do. Although you are a threat which must be eliminated...I'm curious to see just what your maximum is."

Frieza and Goku stood across from each other, each one ready to fight. After a minute, however, Frieza chuckled.

"Still...it's funny. Had I been unaware of your multiplication technique, and simply encountered you at this level of power, I might've asked you to work for me," Frieza said. "Saiyan though you are, the potential of your base form is certainly much greater than any servant I have ever had."

"Of course, you should know I'd never agree to that," Goku replied. Frieza sighed a contemptuous sigh.

"No, you probably wouldn't. You primitive Saiyans are stubborn to the point of idiocy, especially when you think you're being all heroic and whatnot. Although...I can't say I've ever met a Saiyan quite like you in that respect. At least, not since..." Frieza paused as he looked at Goku more closely, his eyes widening as he considered the possibility.

" _Wait a second...the scouter logs showed Raditz went to Earth, where this 'Goku' said he had landed...yes. It's beginning to make sense. He had a second child...ha! Well...I suppose idealism truly does run in that pest's family. I couldn't imagine having to deal with both of his brats working together._ " Frieza shook his head, as if to clear away his thoughts. "In any event," he continued. "With the knowledge I have now, I know that you are simply too powerful to be allowed to live."

Goku chuckled. "If that's the case, why are you just standing there?"

Frieza grinned. "It would be unbelievably easy for me to kill you before you could even process my movement...but truthfully, you represent the best workout I've had in years. To brush you aside would be immensely unsatisfying. However...to watch you struggle so intensely against me, only to find that you truly had no hope from the start...to leave your body broken as I kill your allies one by one...to savor the look of complete and utter despair on your face... **that** would be satisfying." The tyrant's grin only intensified as he finished his speech, as if he was imagining the entire course of events. Goku grinned as well, although Frieza could tell that what he had said unnerved him somewhat.

"Well...you're definitely a good bluffer, I'll say that much," he eventually replied with a slightly nervous chuckle. Frieza simply smiled back at him.

"We'll just have to see, then, won't we?" he parroted back before entering into a combat stance. "I give you my word that I won't kill you until you've demonstrated the absolute limits of your power. Feel free to start at whichever power multiplication you wish. I will, however, defend myself with as much of my power as is necessary. I don't intend to simply allow you to whale on me."

"Heh. Thanks for the heads up, but something tells me you'll end up disappointed," Goku replied, some of his earlier confidence returning as he readied himself for the real fight. After the two combatants exchanged one last glance, Goku clenched his fists and braced himself.

"Kaio-ken Times Three!" he said as his power jumped up further still, and the ever-so-slight red aura around him intensified just a bit more. He flew towards Frieza at top speed...only for him to sidestep his first pass. He flew at him from the side, only to meet the same result before being knocked to the ground with a kick. Frieza stood there with a subdued smile as Goku dusted himself off.

"Alrighty then...Kaio-ken Times Four!" Goku cried, the aura shining a bit brighter as he went for another pass, hammering Frieza with a series of strikes. Unfortunately, this too was met with a very similar result, as Frieza released more of his power to counter each blow before finally hitting him square in the face, sending him backwards. After letting out a short breath, Goku gritted his teeth. "Kaio-ken Times Five!" he cried out as he again went for another pass. When he found himself stymied once more, he decided to switch tactics, launching a ki blast at point blank range. Not expecting this, Frieza caught it full force, stepping back a pace as his vision was clouded. Seizing upon this chance, Goku powered up to Times Seven and threw a punch which Frieza was too distracted to block, sending him flying. Goku allowed himself a small smirk.

"Ha! Finally got a hit in!" he said to himself, before he felt Frieza's ki surge once more as he stopped himself in midair. Goku's face fell as he paid close attention to Frieza's energy.

"And it...didn't bother him...at all..."

* * *

Elsewhere, two seasoned warriors, left unconscious in the middle of a field and brought so low as to be virtually undetectable by scouter sensors or energy sensing, slowly brought themselves back to consciousness. Jeice was the first, his injuries having been slightly less extensive. As he woke, his hand immediately went for the back of his neck, still tender from where Goku had karate chopped it. His vision swam and his stomach felt like it was about to regurgitate basic contents the Attack Balls supplied their bodies with at any second. However, after a moment of intense pain as he struggled to get up to his feet, Jeice eventually managed it, albeit still stumbling from nausea and an intense headache.

"Oi...oi, Recoome. You there, mate?" Jeice asked wearily. He got a muffled groan of pain in response. "Ah...good, good. Okay." When Recoome too managed to get to his feet, the two looked at each other with a mixture of confusion and relief.

"...How the hell are we still alive?" Recoome asked point-blank. Jeice looked back at him with a look which showed that he had absolutely no idea. Recoome shrugged. "Well, not really complaining, to be honest. 'Least I ain't dead from a gut-punch. Never would've been able to live that down."

"Honestly...I think the bloke  **let** us live," Jeice said. "With that kind of power, if he wanted to kill us, he easily could have."

"Who was he, anyway?" Recoome asked.

"He said that little monkey brat was his son, yeah?" Jeice replied. "Must've been a Saiyan. Those bastards just keep getting stronger and stronger."

"Hm," Recoome replied. "It's tough, because on the one hand, Frieza was right, but on the other hand, they definitely make a good challenge."

Jeice smirked. "Well, we'll worry about upping our training regimen as soon as we locate...the others," Jeice paused as his freshly activated scouter relayed the data it was gathering.

"What is it?" Recoome asked.

"I...I'm not seeing Burter or the Captain's ki signature anywhere."

Recoome furrowed his brow, looking over Jeice's shoulder to examine his readings for himself. Meanwhile, Jeice began to pan around to try and look for other signatures.

"Huh...looks like a fairly low one in Frieza's ship...couple lower ones somewhere that way...hang on, looks like something big-"

Suddenly, the scouter on his face exploded in an instant, catching the two of them off guard and leaving Jeice wincing.

"Agh! The hell was that?!" Recoome asked, swiftly switching off his own scouter's sensors.

"I-I dunno! I was trying to get a fix on a couple of signatures off that way!" Jeice said, pointing in the direction of Frieza's ship. "The scouter just fried itself instantly!"

"These things were calibrated for Frieza's power in his first form, right?" Recoome asked. Jeice nodded wordlessly.

"Which means whatever two people were there...one of them had to be Frieza. And the other one..."

"That monkey," Recoome finished, causing Jeice to nod.

"I can't think of any other explanation. But...the scouter couldn't get anywhere close to processing the number. Who knows how tough that Saiyan bastard is, if he's giving Frieza so much trouble!"

"Maybe the boss is just toying with him."

"Maybe...or he could be so strong that he's had to transform multiple times just to keep up."

"That seems a little weird. Why would the monkey let him transform if he was stronger than him?"

"True..." Jeice conceded before shaking his head. "Look, at any rate, whatever fight Frieza is having is way above our pay grade, and I'm not particularly eager to risk actually dying this time."

"Can't fault you there."

"So, as acting captain for the moment, I say our first priority is confirming the condition of the rest of our mates. After that, we can figure out what to do."

"Copy that." Recoome tapped a button on the mount for his scouter. At that moment, a red blip became visible on his scouter screen, indicating the position of the one remaining scouter belonging to Burter. "Got Burter."

"Alright, then, let's go!" Jeice said, and the two took off at full speed towards the position of Burter's scouter.

After a few minutes of flying, during which they noticed some incredibly pronounced debris from a pitched engagement between several warriors, they came upon Burter, lying face down in the dirt, his neck clearly broken by a kick of great intensity. Recoome growled as he looked down at the body, while Jeice simply stared at it silently.

"I...I was hoping the scouter was wrong," he eventually said, choking up a little. "That Burter had just been knocked out like us, his power too low to register. But...I guess he didn't deserve any mercy...huh, mate?" At this, he broke down as much as he was willing to show, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked upon the body of his best friend. His expression hardened, and for a split second, he thought about flying in the middle of whatever epic battle Frieza was engaged in at the moment and doing his damndest to kill that Saiyan bastard. But Recoome placed a hand on his shoulder, calmly yet firmly holding him in place.

"There's nothing you can do," he said simply. "Monkey's way too strong for either of us."

Jeice sighed deeply. "Yeah...yeah."

Recoome patted him on the shoulder, trying to cheer him up.

"Don't worry. Frieza will clobber that bastard. He's the strongest guy in the universe!"

Jeice nodded, smiling a bit. The thought of Frieza indirectly avenging his comrade was certainly a pleasing one. "Yeah," he eventually said. "Yeah, you're right."

Recoome smiled, glad that his friend had come around. "Now, come on. I'll take Burter, and we can go to Frieza's ship and see what we can figure out."

Jeice nodded after only a couple seconds' hesitation. The two set off once more as Recoome hoisted Burter's corpse over his shoulder, hoping to find the time later to honor their fallen friend with a proper funeral.

* * *

Frieza flew over and landed a few feet in front of Goku, grinning all the while. "Well, that was certainly something! You cheeky monkeys truly are crafty, in your own simple way."

Goku chuckled, somewhat apprehensively. "And you're too confident. You leave yourself wide open."

Frieza smirked. "You believe yourself to be in a position to give  **me** advice? How amusing. Haven't you gotten some idea of my power by now?"

Goku chuckled. "You're pretty strong, that's for sure. Way stronger than anybody I've ever fought!"

"Heh. But of course."

"But I'm definitely not done yet!" With that, Goku braced himself. "KAIO-KEN TIMES TEN!" he cried, the aura beginning to grow to a more pronounced degree. However, Goku noticed all the same that the strain of Times Ten with his new power was nowhere near as significant as it had been earlier. He took this knowledge in stride as he rushed at Frieza, hitting him across the jaw with a punch and sending him flying. Before he could recover, Goku flew up and hit him from behind, sending him soaring into the air. He then flew up for another pass, but noticed too late the increase in Frieza's power. Just as he moved to attack him again, Frieza caught his hand in his own, the impact causing a massive shockwave. Goku grimaced and powered up to Times Eleven, but Frieza's power rose again just in time to catch his other hand. Before he could power up to Times Twelve, Frieza tightened his grip on both hands and headbutted Goku, sending him reeling as a cut began to form around his forehead. For an instant, Goku felt Frieza's power skyrocket dramatically, but couldn't even process it before the tyrant's tail smacked him into the ground, forming a massive crater.

As Goku got up from the rubble, Frieza landed at the mouth of the crater, crossing his arms and looking down at Goku.

"Are you finally beginning to understand, you dim-witted monkey?" Frieza asked, his annoyance evident. "Although you make a most entertaining punching bag, I sincerely hope you're getting  **something** out of this."

Goku coughed violently as he slowly stood back up, looking up at Frieza with a look of pure determination. Frieza scowled at the sight.

"So, you don't understand? Wait...no," Frieza said as his mind was brought back several decades, to the moment that he destroyed Planet Vegeta. After killing their monarch and leaving the rest of them with no idea what was going on, Frieza stood ready to annihilate them all. And yet...one man stood before him, right until the end. Continuing to resist right up until the planet exploded. Frieza saw the resemblance clearly now as he looked at Goku's hardened expression. "You  **do** understand. You're not entirely certain you can defeat me...whether I'm truly as powerful as I say or merely bluffing...and you don't  **care**. All that matters to you...is standing up." Goku flew up into the air and landed at the opposite end of the crater's mouth, grinning. Frieza's face twisted into a scowl. "Stupid Saiyan pride. Stupid heroism. You really  **are** that fool's son," he said bitterly, leaving Goku utterly confused.

"Hang on, what are you-?" he got out before Frieza powered up and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying and taking all of the air out of his lungs. As he landed on the ground a couple miles away with a hard thud, Frieza caught up to him, landing a few feet away.

"I wasn't able to make the comparison at first, but now, seeing you all alone here, standing before me, I can see the resemblance clear as day."

"The...hell-?" Goku tried to ask before Frieza punched him in the gut, leaving him winded and on his knees, gasping for air.

"Many years ago, my father acquired Planet Vegeta, where your savage kind had made themselves a home after massacring some other puny race-the Triffles or something. They showed a clear aptitude for battle, so my father inducted many of their strongest warriors into his army. In exchange, our scientists gave them new technology and refined their existing equipment, improving their society greatly."

When Goku attempted to get up, Frieza grabbed him by the sides of his face and rammed his knee into it, crushing his nose and leaving him sprawling backwards onto the ground.

"After a short time, my father transferred primary control of his company to me, and with it, control over your planet. Things continued on much as they were, except...I began to get a curious sense of impending danger. I soon observed this 'zenkai' power your race possessed-the ability to grow stronger after every brush with death. The Saiyans' immense pride was also a concern. It became quickly apparent that their loyalty to me was questionable, and the risk of a rebellion from a planet which could produce warriors of ever-growing strength was considerable. But, more than that...I heard tell of a legend."

Goku struggled to get up onto one knee, his aura flaring up as he attempted to push his body to Kaio-ken Times Fifteen. Unfortunately, Frieza powered up enough to deck Goku across the jaw with a single punch, sending him back to the ground without having managed to push his body to that level.

"Some former soldiers of mine were spreading around something they'd heard from some older Saiyan. A legend of a powerful warrior among the Saiyans who lived almost a thousand years ago. A righteous man who gave his life fighting against evil, or whatever," Frieza finished dismissively. "Those soldiers were killed, of course, but I began to wonder about it all the same. Eventually, at the urging of a friend, I decided the risk was simply too great."

Goku managed to lift himself up once more, beginning to power up only for Frieza to kick him to the ground, placing a foot over his prone body before he could recover and pushing down hard. Frieza slowly extended a finger and pointed it at Goku's leg.

"After I killed King Vegeta, I stood ready to blow the planet up from orbit...until one person tried to stop me. A Saiyan warrior who fought through my rank and file men like they were a swarm of gnats. His struggle was futile, of course-no one among the Saiyans is anywhere near my equal. But...I'll be honest. When I saw him standing there, prattling on about fighting against tyranny and oppression...a part of me was more worried than usual. I took particular relief in knowing that he would die along with the rest of his kind. Because, if anyone could have become a powerful warrior of 'righteousness'..." Frieza trailed off before smirking. "Well. I think you understand."

Goku took a haggard breath as he looked up at Frieza, a newfound rage building in his heart. "So...it wasn't an...asteroid impact, after all," he remarked. "You killed...all of them. My father...my mother...Vegeta's family...all of the Saiyans...except the ones you could use."

Frieza smirked. "I'm sure there are some other stragglers lying about the universe, if it makes you feel any better." He paused for a second. "Really ought to take the time to ferret them out at some point..." he thought aloud. Goku, meanwhile, coughed violently before continuing to speak.

"The Namekians...the Saiyans...how many other people have you treated like this? Like...like vermin you can wipe out on a whim?"

Frieza gave this some thought. "Well, my men do most of the grunt work when it comes to preparing planets for sale. They're awfully efficient about that-although you and your friends have killed many of my best," he finished, looking down at Goku angrily for a second before regaining his composure. "But, as far as the people I've dealt with personally, the toll probably comes out to about...oh, I don't know, one, two hundred billion? You start to lose track after a while, to be totally honest."

As Goku growled at him, Frieza let out a laugh. "Oh, come now, monkey! Your people are hardly bloodless! They brought an entire race to extinction themselves, not to mention all the planets they've laid low in my service! Your father was probably one of the most proficient in that department! And yet you take more issue with me than with him?" Goku continued to look up at Frieza with an expression of pure malice. Frieza sighed. "I suppose I underestimated the influence of nepotism. No matter-you'll have all the time in the world to berate him and the rest of your kind...when I send you to Hell."

The tips of his fingers glowed pink, and Goku knew that he had only one chance to get out of the situation. " _I don't know if what I sensed is even his maximum, but if it_ is _...I've got more than enough power in reserve. Let's just hope my body will last!"_

With that, Goku took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"KAIO-KEN...TIMES TWENTY!"

His red aura blazed to life, completely enveloping his body in a deep crimson glow as he threw Frieza off of him with a kiai, causing Frieza's finger beam to go wide. Before Frieza could even grasp what was happening, Goku had flown up into the air and kept the assault going, grabbing him to stop his momentum and then punching him in the gut. As Frieza was left winded, Goku proceeded to grab Frieza and knee him in the face, leaving him bruised before sending him flying into the sky with a punch. As Frieza flew off, Goku cupped his hands together in the familiar form, hastened as he felt his body screaming in protest at sustaining Times Twenty. He knew he had to make it quick

"KA! ME! HA! ME!  **HAAAAA**!" Goku cried out, firing off a powerful Kamehameha at the distant form of Frieza. Frieza was left looking down in apprehension as the beam of blue ki streaked towards him, and he frantically held out a hand to stop it in its tracks. He quickly found this effort unsatisfactory, and moved on to holding out both hands and releasing even more of his power. When even this proved to not be enough, he was forced to grit his teeth and power up to 70% of his power-close to the maximum limit his body could tolerate without any expansion in mass. He finally managed to stop the beam from pushing back and threatening to spread throughout his body, although he could still feel the searing pain in his arms as the beam burned them immensely. With a yell of pain and exertion, Frieza met the Kamehameha with his own powerful ki blast, canceling the two beams out in a massive explosion which sent shockwaves throughout the entire landmass.

Goku had to brace himself to not be buffeted back too much, and smaller objects around him were swiftly ripped from the ground and send spiraling off. The smoke took a while to clear, but Goku could already sense what he had most feared since the struggle began:

Frieza was stronger than him.

* * *

Jeice and Recoome landed in front of Frieza's ship to a grisly sight. Just outside of the ship, sprawled out and covered in blue blood, laid the body of their captain, just meters away from the Attack Ball he was trying so desperately to reach. From the looks of the injury, he appeared to have been pierced directly through the skull.

Jeice and Recoome recoiled at the sight. Although they had seen and produced plenty of gory results themselves, to see their captain succumb to such a fate angered and repulsed them more than they could say. Jeice gulped while Recoome tried to look on the positive side of things.

"N-now hang on, can't the Captain swap bodies with people? Maybe he just killed his original body with the new body's power!"

Jeice furrowed his brow in thought. "Maybe...the Captain did say Vegeta might have only been showing a glimpse of his power."

"So he took Vegeta's body!" Recoome concluded excitedly, the glimmer of hope obvious in his eyes. Jeice's reflected a similar glow, and the two quickly entered the ship to confirm their theory for themselves.

"That reading I saw was just about...here," Jeice said as the two flew rapidly down the corridors, coming upon the old medical wing of the ship and face to face with Vegeta's body inside of one of the medical machines. Recoome was about to take a step forward to open up the machine, but noticed the counter on the control panel, which stated that the subject would not recover for another hour. Recoome grimaced while Jeice moved to another panel, this one depicting security footage within the room. Curious, he played back the visual record until he came upon a visual of Vegeta's body crashing through the ceiling. As he watched intently, he could hear Vegeta muttering something from within the healing chamber, which, combined with the grunting from earlier, caused his heart to sink. Recoome quickly noticed this and called out to his friend.

"Hey, man, what's wrong?"

Jeice turned back to him, eyes threatening to cloud up again. "It ain't him, mate," he said sadly. Recoome was left dumbstruck.

"W-what? But the body swap-"

"Doesn't change the Captain's voice," Jeice finished. "This security footage-it's obvious that was Vegeta speaking. Which means that that body out there..."

Recoome's eyes widened as he considered what Jeice was saying. "Damn," he said, at a loss for words. After a couple seconds, he added, "So...we really are the only ones left."

Jeice nodded wordlessly, trying not to cry. "I'm going to kill those monkey bastards if it's the last thing I do," he said angrily, a step away from breaking down completely.

"You'll have to get in line," Recoome said, and for some time, neither of them spoke. Eventually, however, Recoome asked the unasked question. "So what do we do?" Jeice didn't respond, prompting Recoome to elaborate. "I mean, we were expecting the Captain to be around to tell us, but now..."

"Yeah," Jeice replied, still on the edge. "Yeah." After a pause, during which he was forced to evaluate everything he believed in, he answered Recoome's question. "One thing's for sure-we don't stay here."

Recoome was shocked by this. "B-but what if the boss needs us-"

"The hell does he need us for?!" Jeice shot back, angry at a lot of different things at the same time. "To go around and mop up anyone he thinks he's beyond dealing with himself?! To do the hardest work, laying low all the A-Class worlds, risking life and limb fighting their strongest warriors?! To fetch the stupid magic macguffins he was after so he can take whatever power they've got for himself, and  **maybe** deign to leave us with a suitable payment when all was said and done?! Well, look where that got us, mate-ALL OF OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD!"

Jeice screamed this last retort at Recoome, his voice hitching as his friends' deaths came back to him all at once. He wiped his eyes before continuing in a smaller voice.

"Guldo...he died on my watch. You guys reminded me that risks come with the job, but...I still wonder if I should've done more. If I'd been paying closer attention, if I'd been fast enough to push him out of the way, maybe..." Jeice let out a shaky breath as he went on. "And now...my Captain, the man I looked up to more than anyone else in the universe...Burter, my best friend...they were both killed while I was too out of it to do anything! And none of it would've happened if that demon could bother to get off his arse and do anything himself!" Recoome listened silently, on the fence about whether or not he should agree with what Jeice was saying. Eventually, as Jeice composed himself once more, he finished his tirade. "Nah. Nah, I'm done. I can't go on like this. I've lost too much to think any of it is worth it now. I've only got one friend left in the universe thanks to 'Lord' Frieza...and those filthy Saiyans."

Jeice spat out the last word angrily, and at this, Recoome considered everything that had happened, everything he had believed in for most of his life, and he made his choice.

"Then we'll leave," he said simply. Jeice seemed surprised that Recoome had come around to his way of thinking so quickly.

"Yeah. Yeah! To hell with this backwater planet anyway!"

"Yeah!" Recoome replied enthusiastically. "We'll ditch this place, and go off somewhere else in the galaxy, where nobody can find us! We'll use every minute we got to get stronger and stronger, and if that Saiyan bastard ain't dead by Frieza's hand, we'll kill him ourselves!"

"Yeah!"

"And if he is-screw it! We'll go over to that Earth planet and kill all his friends!"

"Yeah!"

"And who knows? They may even have Dragon Balls of their own that we can snag to revive Ginyu and the others! Then we'll tell Frieza to go to Hell and do whatever the hell we want!"

"Yeah!"

"And...and...my scouter's still on, ain't it?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then!" Recoome swiftly tore his scouter off of his face and tossed it into a wall with all of his strength, tearing through the wall and reducing the scouter to nothing but nuts and bolts. "Let's get the hell out of here and hope that nobody heard any of that!" he said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" Jeice replied. After a couple of seconds, he fired off a ki blast at the machinery which regulated the ship's healing tanks, not wanting to risk failing to kill Vegeta, who was surely more powerful than them at the moment. When he was certain the machines were all disabled, the two swiftly flew outside and activated their Attack Balls. After setting down Burter's body into his own pod as comfortably as he could, Recoome set about doing the same for Captain Ginyu, while Jeice carried out the task of programming both of their Attack Balls to fly automatically towards a set destination.

"Hm...where should we go?" Recoome asked as Jeice stood before the control panel of Burter's pod. Jeice thought for a moment.

"We could try going to Yardrat, but-"

"But the top brass knows that was where our next assignment was," Recoome finished. "Maybe we should go somewhere more suited to training?"

"Like what?"

"Well, those monkeys had a planet with ten times standard gravity, right? Maybe we should find something like that."

"Hm...that should narrow it down..." Jeice thought before coming upon a planet a good distance away from Namek. "'Zoon,'" Jeice read. "From the looks of things, it has ten times standard gravity. Not much info on their population, though-we got no idea what kind of power levels those blokes have got."

"Well, hopefully they're in a good ballpark for us to deal with," Recoome said, ever the optimist. Jeice smiled.

"Alright, then. Zoon it is," Jeice replied, plotting a flight path into the pod's navigational systems and swiftly doing the same for Ginyu's pod. As he and Recoome sat in their own pods, they each input the coordinates and closed their eyes as the ships began to take off, sending them into stasis. Their last thoughts revolved around a common subject, a subject that would not fade from their minds for quite some time:

Revenge.

* * *

Goku stood there, completely in awe at Frieza's power and feeling the effects of using Times Twenty for that long. As he struggled to catch his breath, Frieza contemplated his own condition. Although he had beaten back Goku's attack, it had taken 70% of his power, and hardly left him unscathed. His body was covered in dust and light burn marks from the attack, and his arms were left badly burned and matted with blood. His arms were left trembling from the exertion of bearing the brunt of Goku's attack, but Frieza swiftly got them under control, scowling all the while.

"That blasted Saiyan!" he muttered to himself before vanishing from Goku's sight, reappearing on the ground directly in front of him. Goku tensed up as he saw Frieza looking at him with an entirely new level of rage. He quickly powered up to Kaio-ken Times Fifteen, gritting his teeth and muffling a scream as every inch of his body howled in protest. Frieza stood there for a moment before speaking up.

"That...hurt," he said, in a tone which indicated whatever calm facade he had maintained was about to come crashing down. And, sure enough, it did. "IT  **HURT**!" he screamed at the Saiyan, his mind totally clouded by rage.

He rushed towards Goku as fast as his body could currently permit without devoting his time towards charging up, and even at Times Fifteen Goku was left unprepared to block Frieza's headbutt. Goku was sent flying across the ground, coming to a halt with a painful thud. As Goku struggled to get up, Frieza calmly walked over to him, looking down at the Saiyan as he tried to get up off of his knees, the constant pain of maintaining Times Fifteen becoming too much for him to bear as he shifted into Times Ten. Frieza never gave him the chance to recover, casually kicking him into the air before flying up and sending him back to the ground with a downward kick. Goku gave up on maintaining any level of the Kaio-ken after that, the injuries only accentuating the physical strain worsened by using Times Twenty.

After sputtering up a small amount of blood, Goku managed to drag himself to his feet, coughing and panting in pain as he struggled to focus on the form of Frieza walking towards him.

"So...I take it that attack earlier was the best you can do?"

Even if Goku had deigned to respond to that, he didn't presently have the breath he needed to do so. His expression looking back at Frieza was all the tyrant needed to see, however.

"I thought so," he said simply before flinging a haphazard energy attack at Goku, creating a chasm in the ground directly in front of him and leaving himself and his clothing even more battered. Goku struggled to look at Frieza with both eyes fully open, while Frieza's own dispassionate glare returned now that he was sure the Saiyan warrior was truly unable to do anything more against him.

"I must say I'm impressed," Frieza conceded. "To climb to almost three-quarters of my power...and from such a lowly species, no less. My father would be hard-pressed to overcome your maximum power on his own. Such strength from such primitive, self-righteous trash...all the more reason that you must die." Frieza held out his hand, a finger extended and ready to run Goku through, before something in Goku's expression made Frieza pause. A kind of stubborn defiance, even in knowing that their death was inevitable. A defiance which would not die out even as all hope seemed to be lost. Frieza could tell from one look in Goku's eyes that, no matter the damage to his body, his spirit was still intact, and as strong and stubborn as ever. The frost demon growled in annoyance. He had not yet reached the point at which killing Goku would be truly satisfying.

Goku, meanwhile, knew he had only one option left, although he couldn't see how Frieza would allow him to use it, nor could he be sure it would be enough. And yet, all the same, Goku knew deep in his soul that he had to try. Not just for his friends and the people he loved on Earth, but for all people everywhere in the universe, and for all of the people who had been thoughtlessly slaughtered under Frieza's rule. He pushed aside the pain, the feeling of his legs threatening to buckle under the strain of supporting his own weight, and concentrated on what he had to do to ensure that Frieza was taken down for good.

He lifted both of his arms skyward...and prayed.

* * *

Hoo, and we're done! Sorry, this was another chapter where it felt like the words weren't quite coming through to a length that suited a full chapter. I already wanted to do what I did with Jeice and Recoome at some point, so I figured instead of cramming that in at the 23rd chapter, it'd be better here.

Speaking of which, here's my reasoning, just in advance. So, to start with, Jeice is already kind of a coward, and Recoome's not an idiot, so neither of them are particularly willing to dive in and help Frieza against Goku, because he's obviously out of their league. And as for their defection from Frieza's ranks...well, they're not quite as  **in** Frieza's ranks as the rest of his soldiers. They're mercenaries hired out by Frieza to do the particularly high-end jobs, and while Frieza does respect them above all other soldiers in his army, there is still a certain detachment there. I mean, Frieza has so much power that he could easily carry out any of these particularly dangerous missions himself. I'd also argue that, of the group, Ginyu is the one most devoted to Frieza. The others are, naturally, devoted to Ginyu more than they are Frieza, as he is their leader. And the Ginyu Force are an incredibly close-knit group, being a team and all and going on many missions together. They've developed an immensely strong bond. Thus, with Ginyu gone, as well as their other friends, as the direct result of them being sent on a mission by Frieza...it's understandable that Jeice and Recoome would be disillusioned with continuing to serve under Frieza, and would be particularly invested in obtaining revenge against the people who killed their friends.

Anyway, with that out of the way, how about some responses?

cybresamurai says:

"That whole "Immortality negates zenkais" thing doesn't make sense and hasn't been confirmed but as long as it doesn't actually affect the story by making a saiyan immortal and stopping them from getting stronger it's ok"

This response intrigued me, and compelled me to investigate the matter a bit more than I had, even asking some other fic writers about it. On the surface, my gut assumption would've been to say that immortal Saiyans can't get zenkais because Dragon Ball depicts immortality as rendering the person affected completely invulnerable. Without the ability to be driven to near-death or even take damage in the first place, you couldn't trigger a zenkai boost. You could still train, obviously, but that's a very different kind of strength increase. From what I could find, the canon generally bears out this perspective, although I may be misinterpreting something. I'm curious to hear your argument on the subject in greater detail. Perhaps you could pm me your thoughts?

Next two are sorta related, so I'm putting them together.

DarkFireCat5241999 says: "Senzus were able to heal a hole through the chest for yamacha so it should arm I think the time chamber gravity varies the further you go out."

GhostKing666 says: "Senzu beans have never been shown being able to heal maiming's. If they could, then Goku, Gohan and Vegeta would all regrown their tails as soon as they ate a senzu bean."

Alright, so, looked into this too, and what I found caused me to make some slight retcons to earlier chapters. Basically, what I discovered in my research on the subject was that yes, Senzu beans can in fact heal maiming, but only if it's fresh. As a result, I rewrote the scene where Yamcha gets his arm torn off to re-open the wound, so as to provide some justification for his arm growing back. As for why the Saiyan's tails don't grow back, it's been demonstrated that that whole process stops with maturity. Goku has permanently lost his tail since Kami did that ritual, and Vegeta never gets his back after it's cut off. Since Goku's came back after being cut off as a kid, we know it isn't the injury that stopped that process. As for why Gohan's never grows back under this logic...honestly, I think Toriyama was just tired of drawing Saiyan tails by the Namek Saga, which is supported by the fact that we never see Trunks or Goten with theirs or see Gohan ever grow his back again following the Saiyan Saga. Ultimately, though, since Gohan has his tail here, that's kind of moot, so the Senzu logic holds up.

Ushindeshi says:

"Cool chapter. Dende is immortal, Goku got his potential unlocked by Guru, that something new."

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Alright, finally, Jredd. Jredd's was...a lot, so I'm going to take out bits and respond to those.

"So first of all I just wanted to come on here and tell you I basically binged all these chapters in a couple of days and I think you are doing a great job :)."

Thanks! Glad to see you liking it so far!

"Secondly, as much as I like this fic overall and I understand why you didn't have the earthlings train in the time chamber I'd like to at least run some points by you for perhaps an alternate take on this story should you ever decide a retelling in the future. 1. The earthlings are way stronger than Goku when he went in as a kid, so while they may not make it a whole year I think a couple of months with a partner is highly possible. 2. Not only are they used to the thin atmosphere of Kami's lookout, but they are also used to very heavy weights and the strain of Roshi's bulk form to the point of mastering it. Now granted that may not be the complete experience of 10X gravity but I think if they removed their weights and tried to stand up it shouldn't take them too long to manage at least that. The one thing that I am unsure of is the rapid shifts in temperature. Although let us consider this, you don't feel the 10X gravity or temperature shifts as much until you step out into the void right? So couldn't they just barely step out into it and always strive to stay close to their beds in case it becomes too much?"

Regarding #1, I feel like my explanation of the differences in biology between humans and Saiyans works pretty well for that, but as for #2, I...did not think about that too much, lmao. It slipped my mind that they could just stay in the fairly normal bed space and just spar in there. I mean, they'd wreck the place, but still.

"Now I am not saying that you should've done this or that you have to lol, I am just saying that if you wanted to you TOTALLY could. Y'know for another story, because I like your writing style."

Oh, yeah, no, absolutely. I'll have to keep this in mind for my other DBZ story, Forgotten Son, whenever it gets around to its Saiyan Saga. That is...really far off, though.

"Anywho, all your other twists more than make up for this and they can always get more out of that room later :D. I just couldn't help myself and be all like "Psst! Yeah but...what about THIS?!""

Ha, yeah, no worries. I'm the exact same way-it's just how I operate. That's why I write what if fics like this.

"I REALLY wanted this Piccolo to fuse with Nail...could you imagine? LOL Again I see why you didn't but...awww :)."

In my original draft in my head, I had Nail consider it and bring the idea up to Piccolo as a way to beat Frieza, before Frieza killed Nail after overhearing this, but I ultimately scrapped that idea. Still, you never know.

"I'll leave you to your work and keep an eye on this story. Keep up the good work. In any case the more this goes forward the better it gets. Dende immortal? Freakin' brilliant! Suck it Freiza LOL! Alright that's the end of my novel of a comment...for now :). *Shifty eyes* Have a good one dude I'm loving this so far :D!"

Thanks, and again, no worries on the length. If anything, it just shows how invested you are, which is definitely a nice thing to see. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this story, and that you have a fantastic day!

Alright, so with all that settled, power levels!

Goku: 4,300,000; 8,600,000 in Times Two, 12,900,000 in Times Three, and so on.

Goku(Times Twenty): 86,000,000

Frieza(50% power): 60,000,000

Frieza(75% power): 90,000,000(it seems likely, based on a throwaway line from Frieza in the manga, that 75% is about the most his body can withstand without having to bulk up too much, and even then it's exhausting. Beyond that, he needs time to charge up)

Before I sign off, I'd like to give a quick shout-out to Cerric, writer of  _Strength of Many_ , on Fanfiction. They've been looking over the last couple chapters of this story and sending in feedback, which has helped me in crafting what is hopefully the best story I can offer you all, so let's give them a hand for that! Be sure to check out their story, too-highly recommend it!

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care.

 **(Edit 6/16/19):** Quick add-on here-I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow and through most of June, and won't have access to my laptop. Chapter 23 is finished, but I decided that it would be better to hold off on uploading that until I got back so that I'll have more time to work on Chapter 24. Thank you all for understanding, and I'll see you all in a while!


	24. The Last Resort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a shocking turn of events, even the peak of Goku's power is not enough to take Frieza down, and Frieza is growing tired of continuing their battle. His only hope is to use the Spirit Bomb, but for that, he's going to need time: time that Frieza is not going to give him. Will he be able to find a way to charge the Spirit Bomb and end Frieza's reign of terror? Or will he find himself beaten, and his friends and family slain by Frieza's hand? Find out now in Hermit!

Some time before, on the other side of the planet, Piccolo and company landed in front of the Capsule Corp spaceship which Goku and Piccolo had arrived in.

"Ha! We actually made it!" Yamcha cried out in joy. Krillin joined in as well, not quite able to help himself. Piccolo scoffed, although Gohan could tell he too was relieved that the others were out of danger.

"Alright, we'll stay here and guard the vessel until Goku finishes Frieza off. Between his immense power and the Kaio-ken technique, it should be fairly easy."

Gohan and the others agreed with the sentiment, but Gohan began to focus more intensely than he had been on the distant ki signatures of Goku and Frieza. After a minute, he quickly noticed a problem. "Uh...guys?"

Piccolo looked over at him. "What's going on?"

"Both of their ki signatures are rising rapidly," Gohan replied. "It doesn't seem like Daddy's doing any damage to Frieza at all."

The others began to grow concerned, and quickly devoted their attention to the area as well, stepping back a pace in surprise. "I see what you mean," Krillin said. "Frieza's ki is insane! And...Goku's ki seems to be faltering a bit."

"Yes...although he's increasing it ever-further with the Kaio-ken, the strain is taking a minute, yet evident toll, accelerated with every increase," Piccolo explained. "I would also deduce that he is being injured by Frieza whenever he overpowers certain states." After a minute of apprehensive silence, Piccolo was about to say more, but paused as he felt an intense jolt in his head. The others evidently felt it as well, trying to blink away the sensation.

"Is that...?" Yamcha began, in awe at what he was feeling from Goku and Frieza.

"Times Twenty. It has to be," Krillin finished, before the group was rocked by the intensity of Goku and Frieza's struggle.

"Good lord!" Yamcha cried out in astonishment, while the others were left simply stunned. When the struggle had ended, Piccolo grimaced.

"Frieza is stronger," he remarked simply, catching the others off guard.

"A-are you sure?" Gohan asked.

"I could tell from his ki signature. Times Twenty has done significant damage to Goku's body. It is likely the maximum he can withstand. Frieza struggled intensely against that power...but still saved himself."

The group was left stunned by this information.

"W-what do we do?" Yamcha asked, struggling to find an answer. Piccolo continued to scowl.

"I...I do not know. Frieza's power is beyond all of us...and beyond Goku. We should not have dismissed King Kai's warnings."

"G-Goku has a plan though, right?" Krillin asked. Piccolo paused.

"He was hoping the Kaio-ken Times Twenty would be enough. Without it...he has only one chance. And it is unlikely Frieza will give him the time to use it."

"What are you talking about?" Yamcha asked, while understanding dawned on Krillin's face as he began to feel a slight shift in the energy around him.

"Yeah, that's it! He's using the Spirit Bomb!" he cried out excitedly.

"The Spirit whatsit?"

"The Spirit Bomb!" Krillin answered. "H-he takes energy from everything around him-plants, animals, people-and gathers it into a sphere of energy. Even a fraction of the energy he gathered from the people of Earth was enough to nearly kill Vegeta back then!"

Yamcha paused for a second. "You know, now that you mention it, I did feel like a bit of my ki was going down while you guys were fighting," he remarked, before chuckling. "I just attributed that to my injuries."

"But...surely Daddy must realize there isn't enough energy on this planet anymore," Gohan said.

"He's likely aware, but at this juncture...he has no choice," Piccolo answered. "We could attempt to buy him time to gather more energy, but...Frieza's power alone is enough to crush all of us."

Gohan furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before looking over at Dende. "Not all of us," he said, turning the others' attention to him.

"What do you mean?" Piccolo asked, causing Dende to quickly answer.

"When Frieza hit me with that beam, I was completely fine, even after a similar beam had killed Nail easily," Dende answered, the memory causing him great discomfort. "And during the fight, I felt a rush of...something, in my body. I think...I think my people used our Dragon Balls to make me immortal."

Gohan nodded while the others were left perplexed. "B-but why?" Yamcha asked. "What purpose would that serve?"

"...I understand," Piccolo said, thinking for a moment before elaborating. "King Kai can see events transpire throughout the universe, and he can communicate telepathically with any life form he wishes. He has been watching this engagement, and knows of Dende's healing abilities. He must have contacted the Namekians and told them to make Dende immortal so that Frieza couldn't kill him and prevent him from healing us."

"And now we can use that to our advantage," Gohan said. "If someone can keep Frieza distracted, Dende can heal Daddy! With the damage he's sustained, that might give him another boost!"

Piccolo's eyes widened as he caught on. "And if it's anything like the last one...factoring in the Kaio-ken, it may give him the edge he needs to put down Frieza for good." However, he shook his head after a few seconds of consideration. "But we could never stall him long enough for that plan to succeed. It would surely mean all of our deaths."

Gohan nodded. "Maybe so, but...there is a way we can improve our odds." He looked into Piccolo's eyes, doing his best to communicate his intentions.

Piccolo looked back at him, puzzled. "What are you...no," he asked before putting his foot down. "No, that is not acceptable."

"But Mr. Piccolo-!"

"Silence! I will not let you take such a risk!"

"I'm the only one who can get stronger on the spot like that! I definitely won't get strong enough to beat Frieza, but I might get close enough to stall him, at least for a few minutes!"

"What you're proposing is far too risky! If done incorrectly, you could die!"

"Why do you think I'm asking  **you**  to do it?!" Gohan shot back, leaving Piccolo stunned. "Your techniques are far more precise-no offense," he added hastily for the others' benefit. "I know you'll be able to do it safely."

Piccolo hesitated, sweat beads forming along his eyebrows as he contemplated what the child was asking him to do.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but it's our best chance," Gohan said candidly. "If we knew what happened to Vegeta after fighting that Ginyu guy, we could try that fake moon thing he did to turn me into that big ape monster, but I highly doubt that plan would work out much better in the long run."

"Not to mention Vegeta would probably sooner kill us than team up with us," Yamcha added.

Piccolo was about to raise an objection when the gang felt a sudden decrease in Goku's ki signature. It was easy enough to deduce that Goku was being pummeled by Frieza.

"Come on, Mr. Piccolo! It's now or never!" Gohan implored his teacher, only intensifying the dilemma evident across Piccolo's features. Recognizing this, Gohan looked at him and chuckled, causing Piccolo to turn to him in annoyance.

"W-what?!" he asked, slightly embarrassed.

Gohan smiled. "Nothing, it's just...funny. Only a year ago, you threw me at a cliff and left me to fend for myself in the middle of a barren wasteland."

Piccolo was left stunned at how quickly Gohan had deduced his emotions, before he growled at the thought of having any weaknesses, let alone one exposed so easily. Kami chuckled in his head.

_"You know, I never would've imagined you had such a soft side, Piccolo."_

_"The day your mind is absorbed by my own is the day I will cry tears of joy for the first time in my life."_

"Very well! I'll do it." Piccolo took a few steps back, hesitating for a second before placing his fingers on his forehead. Gohan nodded to Dende, and the Namekian child floated apprehensively to his side as he screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the pain. Yamcha and Krillin both turned away and covered their ears, the sight being a bit too much for them.

"This is going to hurt," Piccolo cautioned the child, who simply chuckled nervously, fully aware of that.

"Promises, promises," Gohan replied with a forced smile as he dropped his energy to zero. Piccolo couldn't help but grin a bit in return as he poured all the energy he could muster into the attack, aiming directly for an area of Gohan's chest that Piccolo knew would not be immediately fatal.

"Special Beam Cannon!" he cried out as he fired the beam, which easily pierced through the area he had aimed for and sent Gohan falling to the ground, blood sputtering from the wound as a small trickle escaped his mouth. Dende was on him in an instant, readying himself to begin the healing process. Gohan's eyes began to lose focus as he drifted in and out of consciousness, his mind preoccupied with one single thought.

_"Come on...please, let this be enough...to make a difference..."_

As Dende poured his energy into Gohan's body, the boy's wounds were quickly sealed up, and he opened his eyes to find Piccolo and the others looking down at him in worry. With some slight nausea, Gohan managed to pull himself up off the ground, with Piccolo lending him a shoulder. Once on his feet, Gohan looked over at everyone and held out his hand slightly. They got the message, stepping back a couple of paces, before Gohan let out the full extent of his power with a mighty battle cry. The others were left completely stunned, with Piccolo having to grab onto Dende to keep him from being blown back by the sheer intensity, while the others barely held on after powering up as much as they could. When Gohan's display was finished, he looked down at his outstretched arms for a second before clenching his fists, satisfied in his own way with his newfound power.

_"It's nothing like Frieza's...but it's enough."_

He turned to the others and looked at them with the expression of a natural leader.

"If you guys are coming along, you should stay behind me. I'll take Dende and draw Frieza away. That should give you guys time to get into position and do what you can to stall him while Dende heals Daddy."

The others nodded, aware of the danger of what they were about to do, yet committed nonetheless. Gohan moved to grab Dende in a bridal carry while Piccolo grabbed Krillin. Yamcha flew over to place Nail's body inside the ship before closing the door and grabbing onto Piccolo's outstretched hand. Without another word, the group took off as fast as they could, Gohan roaring ahead of the others at dizzying speeds to intercept the tyrannical emperor.

* * *

"...What are you doing?"

Frieza looked at Goku with a look somewhere in between confusion and incredulity. As far as he could tell, Goku was just...standing there. There wasn't any visible collection of energy, and the man seemed so drained to begin with that Frieza had to wonder if any sort of last resort wouldn't just kill him outright.

"I-I don't understand. Is this some kind of technique? Some gesture of capitulation? I...this doesn't make any sense. You can barely stand! Just what are you thinking you're going to accomplish with this...whatever it is?!"

Goku, meanwhile, stayed silent, focusing all of his energy on what was now his last resort.

 _"Agh, I knew it would be difficult with so little life left on the planet! Thank God he hasn't noticed yet...okay! With this new power boost...yeah! I can reach out to nearby planets!"_  Goku found himself taking a deep breath involuntarily.  _"All planets close to Namek, please! Give me as much energy as you can spare!"_

High above the pair of them, well beyond Frieza's field of vision, the Spirit Bomb directly above Goku's head grew ever larger in diameter, quickly reaching and surpassing 150 feet. However, Goku could sense from the ball's output that it was still nowhere near strong enough to take down Frieza.

_"Based on what I sensed before...once it's a good deal above the Kamehameha I tried earlier, it might be enough! Still...it's a gamble, and so far, every gamble I've made on Frieza's limits has blown up in my face-literally. Let's just hope this time my luck comes through for me!"_

Frieza, meanwhile, grew ever more impatient.

"I tire of this. How long are you going to stay like that?"

Goku chuckled, attempting to play off what he was trying to do.

"Long as I want to..."

At this, Frieza snapped, and Goku soon found himself on the receiving end of a powerful kick before he could even process it. As he tumbled onto the ground, Goku struggled to maintain his control over the Spirit Bomb above him. He slowly dragged himself to his feet in an attempt to continue the pose and gather even more energy, which only angered Frieza further.

"Come on, monkey! Attack me if you're going to!"

Goku attempted another chuckle.

"D-don't get so impatient now, Frieza..." he said as he resumed the pose, pouring even more energy into the Spirit Bomb. Frieza scowled at him before his scowl morphed into a smirk.

"Enough of this."

He let out a kiai which sent Goku flying into a nearby lake, producing a massive splash of water at the point of impact. After a moment, Goku's hand burst forth from the water as he dragged himself onto shore, panting heavily from the exertion. Frieza soon landed in front of the prone Saiyan and watched as he gasped for air. His lips curled into a scowl once more as he crossed his arms and looked down at the Saiyan.

"I never understand what you Saiyans are thinking," he began. "You persist in opposing a force you can't possibly stop even when you know it's useless. And for what? Pride? Honor? What passes for compassion among such simple-minded, bloodthirsty savages? Or are you simply too stubborn to just lay down and die?"

Goku simply continued breathing haggardly, trying to regain enough breath to get up and face Frieza once more, even as his body protested. Frieza simply grinned, a sinister look forming in his eyes.

"Well, I suppose I wasn't really expecting an answer. Whatever the reason, I grow tired of indulging you. You have evidently expended the last of your reserves. Continuing this battle is pointless." Frieza suddenly reached down and yanked Goku up out of the water, holding him by the throat. As Goku struggled in vain against Frieza's grip, Frieza applied just enough pressure to leave Goku struggling even harder for air. Between his strangled gasps, Frieza looked into his eyes and sneered. "I will not kill you just yet, 'Son Goku.' Only when I am satisfied will I permit you to die." Frieza tightened his grip slightly, hoping to force the Saiyan warrior into unconsciousness, when his eyes fell upon something: a reflection in the water of the lake which he had been too preoccupied to notice before. At first glance, it appeared to be a great ball of light, not unlike a sun. However, Frieza knew better.

"That's...that's not one of Namek's three suns..." Frieza muttered as his gaze turned skyward, towards the source of the bright light. "What...is...that...?" He was forced to squint as he attempted to get a clear picture of the object. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was actually an enormous ball of energy, and from the looks of things, it appeared to be positioned directly above Goku.

 _"Crap! He knows!"_  Goku thought as he felt Frieza's grip slacken. Goku grit his teeth and powered up to Kaio-ken Times Five before letting out a kiai which forced Frieza to abandon his grasp around Goku's throat. Goku then quickly pushed himself away, landing a few feet away and continuing to hold up his hands.

"Agh! So that's what you've been doing!" Frieza remarked, while Goku simply stood there silently, observing Frieza carefully while continuing to gather as much energy as possible.

 _"Dammit!"_  he thought angrily. _"He'll just dodge it if I use it now, and it's still not enough anyway!"_

"Hoping to take me by surprise, were you?" Frieza said, smirking at the struggling warrior. "Fool! You have no hope of defeating me with a technique like that!" As if to demonstrate his point, he swiftly rushed forward and punched Goku in the gut, leaving him to fall to his knees in agony. In vain, he held his hands aloft, trying to eek out just a bit more energy, but Frieza wasn't ready to give him that chance. He cocked his fist, ready to punch Goku square in the face, before he felt a rush of air to his right. He had only enough time to turn his head before being hit directly in the face with a flying kick, sending him flying off into the distance for miles. Goku looked up in surprise.

"G-Gohan?!" he asked, partly surprised he was there at all and partly surprised by how strong he was.

"Just focus on the Spirit Bomb, daddy-I've got this!" the boy replied before taking off in the direction that Frieza had been smacked. No sooner had he arrived near where Frieza had landed than the tyrant burst forth from the water, absolutely livid.

"Agh, the brat! I overlooked him!" he muttered angrily to himself, looking around frantically until he found the brat in question, who just barely managed to land a punch on him to little effect. Doing his best to channel his rage, Gohan rushed towards Frieza, but quickly found himself outmatched. Before he could even throw another punch, Frieza's tail came up faster than he could react, smacking him into the dirt. Gohan attempted to recover, only for Frieza to rush downwards towards him and hit him upside the head with a powerful punch. Without another word, Frieza picked up the boy, dizzy from the blunt injury, and tossed him into the air before sending him flying through a large rock and into another with an aerial kick. Frieza calmly flew over to the struggling child and sneered.

"Did you really think you could defeat me with one measly power up?" Frieza taunted. "All you've done is hastened your own death."

To his surprise, however, Gohan simply chuckled.

"I never needed to defeat you," he replied with some effort. "I just needed to distract you."

Frieza tilted his head. "Distract me? Distract me from what...?" As he spoke, he noticed in the corner of his eye a small, blurry figure standing right next to what he could quickly recognize was Goku, still charging up his attack. As the figure held out his hands, realization struck.

"NO!" he cried, rushing out to stop Dende from healing Goku. Before he could move forward, however, Gohan suddenly flew up from the rubble and grabbed onto his tail, yanking him back with all his strength. Although this initially stopped Frieza in his tracks, the tyrant, beyond annoyed with Gohan's antics, powered up to 50% of his power and swiftly broke free of the boy's hold. Frieza flew forwards at remarkable speeds, swiftly intercepting the Namekian child before he could even lay his hands onto Goku's body. With a cry of surprise, Dende soon found Frieza's hand gripping tightly around his throat, and Goku far out of his reach.

"Trying more of your backwater magic, are we? No matter. I may not be able to kill you...but I can still take you out of the equation." Frieza swiftly threw out his other arm to intercept Gohan, who had attempted to catch him by surprise. As Gohan's face began to be crushed in Frieza's left hand, he pulled back his right arm before throwing his charge into the air with all of his strength. With one drawn out scream, Dende found himself flying upwards uncontrollably, quickly fading from the others' view with no sign of slowing down. To their horror, the fighters began to sense Dende's ki leaving the vicinity of the planet, continuing on through space and only slightly impeded by his own efforts to fly in the opposite direction. Frieza smirked, his satisfaction evident.

"Well...now that that variable is out of play..." he trailed off before holding Gohan aloft, twisting his grip, and shoving the boy back-first into the ground, producing a small crater. As if on cue, Piccolo flew up at top speed and attempted to hit Frieza with a drop kick, but the tyrant easily jerked his head back and avoided the attack. Without missing a beat, Piccolo attempted to briefly charge up a Special Beam Cannon along his right hand, lunging forward with the technique aimed directly at Frieza's eyes. Although not expecting this, Frieza swiftly snatched Piccolo's outstretched fingers and crushed them into nothing between his fist, causing Piccolo to scream in pain. Frieza kicked Piccolo to the side as purple blood was left coating his palm, then followed up with a kiai launched at Goku, designed to send him sprawling to the ground with immense force.

Frieza looked around to see if anyone else sought to challenge him, and was met with Yamcha firing off a series of Spirit Balls in his direction. He scoffed with annoyance as he simply walked through the mess of spheres, each of them eventually colliding with his face to no effect before he reached through the smoke and pulled Yamcha towards him, leaving him gasping for air with a knee to the stomach. Krillin swiftly moved to attack with a point-blank Kienzan, but found this too avoided by Frieza in the nick of time, leaving only a shallow gash along his chest from the attack. Grimacing over the slight pain, Frieza swiftly smacked Krillin to the ground with his tail, leaving him dizzy and unable to get back up no matter how hard he struggled.

He was just about to turn back to check on Goku when he noticed a small stream of energy springing forth from Gohan's open palm, who had just managed to get up onto his knees. Annoyed that the child was still up, he swiftly flew over to his position and knocked him back down again with a punch. He looked down upon the child with a smirk as he struggled to get back up.

"I must admit-I'm surprised you still have this much fire in you. Evidently you are more similar to your foolish father than I would have assumed." The emperor held his fingers outward, charging up a small pink point of ki along his fingertips. "I promised him that he would be forced to watch as all of his companions died by my hand. I see no reason not to start...with his own son." He grinned maliciously as the beam reached its apex, only to hear the distinct sound of chuckling from the boy. The sound left him confused, as well as more than a bit worried. "What the-? What could you possibly find amusing about all this?!"

Gohan took a moment to tilt his head up, looking the ruthless emperor right in the eye.

"Made you look."

Without another word, Gohan poured all the strength he had left into a powerful kiai before falling backwards to the ground, exhausted. Caught off guard, Frieza took it head-on, sending him flying into what seemed to him to be some bright light off in the distance behind him. Before he could break out of the child's trap, he felt his back collide with the descending Spirit Bomb, every inch of it starting to sear with pain. Frieza could vaguely make out Piccolo carrying Gohan away from the immediate vicinity of the massive ball of ki along with everyone else, some having to be picked up. However, that was hardly his most pressing concern at the moment.

With a great deal of strain, he managed to turn himself around so that he was pushing upwards with both of his arms and all of the power he could muster in his current state. Even with all of this energy, however, he still found his body being slowly but surely pushed downwards, the ground below him already giving way before the ball of ki from its sheer intensity. What's more, Frieza felt a particularly painful sensation throughout his entire body-as if his very soul was being ripped apart by the energy of the Spirit Bomb.

"T-this is nothing!" he cried out, not fully aware of how much he was lying to himself. His veins bulged throughout his body as he tried to push back against the ball of ki. Every part of him felt like it was being pulled taut, just inches away from snapping. Idly, he wondered about risking the time-consuming process of charging up to 100%, but a growing voice inside of his mind told him that even this would not be enough.

"T-this...is...nothing!" he repeated, as if simply saying the words out loud would give him the second wind he so desperately needed. As if he wasn't being pushed downwards even as he struggled with every ounce of power he had available. As if he couldn't feel that infernal Saiyan's technique tearing him apart piece by piece, all of his immense power only serving to barely hold him together.

He felt a shift. His body was beginning to buckle as the Spirit Bomb edged ever-closer to the planet's surface. He had burned out much of his power trying to hold on, and his reserves were beginning to fail. He grit his teeth and tried to push even more energy into his body, but it was no use. There was no stopping the Spirit Bomb.

"T-this...is..."

The tyrant's eyes widened, and for the first time, the most fearsome mortal being in the universe felt fear. The unstoppable force of destruction appeared to have met his match. The great and powerful Frieza let a thought that he would never have dared cross his mind pass unhindered, for now, in this moment, he had finally dared to believe it could ever be possible:

_"I'm...I'm going to...die."_

A nearby observer could have distinctly heard the tyrant's cry, a cry of pure fear as he contemplated what appeared to be his imminent demise. The Spirit Bomb enveloped him completely, only heightening the emperor's terror. However, this cry was swiftly drowned out by a far more imposing roar: the deafening explosion of ki that resulted when the Spirit Bomb finally collided with the planet's surface, a blast that could be clearly seen even by the distant form of Dende, who had still been unsuccessful in coming to a complete stop from Frieza's maneuver. As for Earth's warriors, no matter how far they had managed to get from the epicenter, their vision was quickly obscured in mere seconds by an enormous flash of bright blue light. Only seconds later, the deafening noise hit along with the residual shock wave, the force of which causing everything to fade to black.

* * *

Several minutes passed during which the only sound that could be heard was the fading aftermath of the explosion and the roaring waves kicked up as a result. Eventually, however, a figure managed to pull himself up out of the water, grasping onto the first stable landmass he could find after regaining consciousness. Yamcha coughed violently for some time before regaining his composure. His own safety tentatively established, he reached out with his senses to locate the others.

"Please don't all be dead, please don't all be dead, please don't all be dead...wait a second!" Yamcha said aloud as he finally picked up something. He flew over to a spot nearby which seemed to host a fairly weak ki signature. After a bit more focus, he realized who it was, and held out his hand just as Krillin managed to swim up to the surface. Finding it somewhat difficult to pull him up, Yamcha let Krillin have a moment to cough up the water that had made its way into his lungs. Eventually, Krillin was able to pull himself up into a sitting position.

"Whew, man! That was a hell of an explosion," Krillin remarked tiredly, exhausted from having to swim up to the surface of the lake. Yamcha nodded.

"Now where could the others have gone...?" Yamcha wondered aloud. Krillin chuckled.

"If we're alive, you can bet they are, with how crazy strong they've all gotten."

Yamcha murmured to himself. "I dunno...Goku was pretty close to that blast, and he and Gohan were in pretty bad shape." The two looked around, hoping to find Piccolo, Gohan, or Goku somewhere nearby. After a moment of frantically looking around, Krillin eventually spotted something. "There!" he cried out, as both of them began to make out the form of Piccolo floating some distance away, battered from the explosion. Gohan lay barely conscious in his arms, only dimly registering the presence of the others. With some difficulty, Piccolo managed to fly to their position and set Gohan down onto the ground in front of him after spotting the group, falling to his knees not long after. With a nod, the two humans gave Piccolo and the weakened child as much energy as they could spare, and the light in his eyes shone significantly brighter.

"Ugh...what happened?" he asked, to no one in particular. "Did we win?"

Piccolo thought about this for a moment. "I'm not sensing Frieza's ki...or Goku's..."

The warriors looked at each other somberly. "Neither can I," Yamcha remarked, to which Krillin nodded. Gohan looked around, deeply saddened until he began to feel something in the back of his mind. His eyes widened a bit.

"Wait a sec...I feel something! It's...it's Daddy's ki! Coming from over there!" He pointed off in the distance, which seemed to be nothing but empty seas. Piccolo flew off as best he could towards the area, diving down in search of Goku's ki. After a few moments of tense silence, he emerged from the water with Goku in hand, looking incredibly drained. With great care, Piccolo set his body onto the ground in front of them, pushing some of his energy into his unconscious body in the hopes of getting him to come around. After some violent coughing, Goku's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Ah...man, I...I think I saw Grandpa for a bit there," he said weakly, chuckling to himself almost deliriously. Piccolo chuckled.

"And Roshi, I'd imagine." Goku chuckled as well before tensing up for a second. He relaxed, appearing sure of himself.

"Yup. I'm not...sensing Frieza anywhere. I...I think we did it, guys."

The others couldn't help the bright, relieved smiles that formed along their faces, Goku included. Even Piccolo got in on it, although his was far more subdued.

"Come on," he remarked. "Let us return to the spaceship. With any luck, it's still intact, and we can go out and bring Dende back to Earth with us."

Goku nodded and let Piccolo pull him up off of the ground and onto his feet.

"I just hope that the Namekians were able to get our Dragon Balls working," Gohan said. "Then we could revive everyone who's died this last year, if we word the wish right." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"From what I know through Kami, the process isn't that difficult. Tsuno should be able to restore them, or perhaps even enhance their capabilities. In time, we'll be able to bring everyone back."

The others decided then to take off at a leisurely pace, heading towards Goku and Piccolo's ship. As they flew, Yamcha addressed the elephant in the room.

"So what happens now?" When the others looked towards him, he stuttered slightly. "I-I mean, Frieza's gone, but isn't he supposed to be the head of some big empire out in space? It's not like that went away."

"Well, with their leader and many of his top subordinates dead, their empire is no doubt in disarray," Piccolo remarked. "It is unlikely that it poses a threat."

Goku frowned slightly. "Eh, I dunno about all that." Piccolo turned towards him as he elaborated. "While I was fighting Frieza, he mentioned that his parents were strong enough to injure him. If that's the case, then once they find out about this...things will get ugly."

"Plus, the universe is big," Gohan added. "Frieza may have other guys out there we don't even know about!"

Piccolo nodded as the ship came within sight. "Hm. That is indeed troubling."

"Eh, it's not so bad," Goku said. "I'm almost as strong as his dad, according to him, and now...who knows how much stronger I'll get?" After a moment of thought, Goku came up with a plan. "The next time King Kai contacts me, I'll ask him to keep an eye on everything that happens with Frieza's empire, and to tell me where I can find Frieza's dad. We can deal with him and anyone else who might take Frieza's place. After that, if somebody tries to start up something like that again, we'll deal with that too. If not, we'll let things sort themselves out. For now, though...let's worry about getting ourselves home, huh? Your mom's worried sick," Goku said to Gohan, who shuffled his feet a bit.

"Right. Yeah. The whole sneaking off on the spaceship thing." Goku nodded.

"And picking a bunch of fights with evil alien guys trying to kill you," Goku remarked. "I feel like it's my job to scold you on that, but I'd probably have done all of that stuff when I was your age, and also now, so really...seems a little unfair, don't you think?" He smiled down at his son, causing him to chuckle a bit.

"You make a compelling argument, Daddy." Goku chuckled before pointing down at his son, giving his best effort at a stern look and not really succeeding.

"Don't you go thinking that your mom's gonna let you off the hook, though. You know how she gets." Gohan sighed.

"Grounded for a month and double the homework?"

"Grounded for  **two** months and  **triple** the homework," Goku clarified. "She was  **mad**."

Gohan groaned in anticipation of his fate, but still couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of going home. The others likewise smiled as they touched down in front of the ship, relieved that this long nightmare was finally over.

Piccolo was just about to step onto the extended boarding deck when he paused, suddenly overcome by a cold feeling in the back of his mind. A quick glance around at the others showed that they felt it too, and that it appeared to be...familiar. "What-?" Piccolo got out before he turned to the side-and was pierced through the chest by a pink beam of ki. As Piccolo collapsed soundlessly, suddenly on the brink of death, the others whirled around to the source of the noise.

Standing menacingly on the roof of the Capsule ship was none other than Frieza himself, having just landed after firing the beam. His eye appeared to be forcefully kept shut, his body plastered by cuts and bruises from the explosion and resulting debris. Almost a third of his tail was missing, the end reduced to a still-bleeding stump, and the gash across his chest only seemed to be causing him even greater pain. And yet, despite all of this damage, he was alive all the same, and, judging by his energy, far more powerful than any of them.

"FRIEZA!" Yamcha cried out in panic, overwhelmed by fear as the supposedly dead tyrant looked down at them with an entirely new level of hatred.

"P-Piccolo!" Gohan cried out, horrified at the fate which had befallen his teacher. Frieza's breath came shallowly as he began to speak.

"Even  **I**  thought I was dead. I very nearly was...because of  **you** ," he said, looking at Goku with a malice he'd never seen before.

"Guys, get out of here now!" Goku cried out frantically, before powering up to Kaio-ken Times Five, every inch of his body screaming in protest as he flew right at Frieza. Although evidently weakened, Frieza still managed to counter with a punch in the nick of time, sending Goku sprawling to the ground. The others hesitated for only a few seconds before resolving to leave, which turned out to be a few seconds too many. Suddenly, Krillin and Yamcha began to float off the ground without intending to, their whole bodies vibrating as ki was forcibly entered into them.

"Agh, what the-?!" Yamcha said in astonishment as he began to feel the effects of Frieza's technique.

"What's going on?!" Krillin asked, panic entering into his voice. Goku struggled to push himself up off the ground in order to get a look at just what Frieza was doing.

"Frieza...no..." he said, too weak at this point to be heard clearly. Frieza caught the plea all the same, and chuckled to himself.

"You really think I'll let these insufferable wretches go?  **None**  of you are leaving this planet alive!"

With a flick of his hand, the two rocketed upwards, the ki surrounding them rising in intensity as they both cried out in terror. Gohan began to sense what was going to happen to them, while Goku struggled to turn his head in their direction.

"Krillin! Yamcha!" he cried out as he resolved to try and distract Frieza in order to break his control, but it was too late. Krillin and Yamcha frantically looked down at the ground, making eye contact with Goku just as they felt the ki being pumped into them reach its apex.

"GOKU-!" they both cried out, only seconds before they were silenced. The two bodies simultaneously exploded in a massive plume of ki, vaporized almost instantly and left with little remaining but smoke and dust.

Goku was left awestruck as each of his friends were ripped away from him. Too weak to do anything, he could only watch with growing anger. Gohan, meanwhile, couldn't stop tears from flowing down his cheeks. Even though he knew that they could all be brought back one way or another, he couldn't help but wonder if that would be true once Frieza was done with them.

"Piccolo...Krillin...Yamcha...Daddy..." he muttered in a mixture of sadness and building fury. As he began to breathe heavily, Gohan's ki skyrocketed, in a boost far greater than any he had yet been able to muster. Gohan rushed towards Frieza with a howl of anger, intent upon beating the tyrant to a pulp. Caught off guard, Frieza was left on the defense as he threw punch after punch his way, each attack growing more and more erratic. Eventually, however, Frieza managed to grab Gohan's fist in his own, stopping the boy in his tracks. Before he could respond, the boy heard the high-pitched whine of a ki beam and felt a horrible sensation in his chest, akin to something being run through. With horror, he realized that it was his heart, torn through by Frieza's attack. The tyrant kicked his dying body to the side, where he landed only a few feet away from Goku. Unable to get back up, Gohan could feel his vision fading rapidly.

"Daddy..." he said in a small voice, looking into his father's eyes before collapsing face-first onto the ground, his ki fading beyond Goku's ability to sense.

"Gohan..." he said back as he frantically got back up to his knees, as if the name alone would bring some spark of life into his son's body. With great effort, he crawled over to Gohan and placed his hand on his chest, trying to find some sign that he could still be saved. When he couldn't hide from the obvious any longer, tears welled up in his eyes as well. "GOHAN!" he cried, cursing himself for his weakness and cursing Frieza for his unimaginable cruelty. The man in question, meanwhile, smiled with a kind of euphoric glee as Goku sunk his face into his son's chest, tears beginning to crack through all efforts at holding them back.

"Ah..." he said, completely satisfied. "This is  **exactly** what I wanted. The look on your face, the pain in your voice, the fire in your eyes finally withering and dying."

Goku, meanwhile, tuned out the tyrant's speech, too zeroed in on his own grief, and his own feelings of guilt and failure.

_"I promised Chi Chi...that I'd protect him! I promised everyone that I'd keep them safe!"_

"It is true that I have sacrificed far more than I wanted to in the course of this...lesson. My tail...my  **dignity**...but, even so, the reward is well worth it."

_"I was supposed to be strong enough! Even after he transformed, even when his power proved to be so much greater than I thought...I thought I was strong enough to stop him!"_

"Vegeta and the Namekians must still be dealt with, of course. Not to mention your companions on Earth. Left unchecked, they will surely move to revive you and these peons with their own Dragon Balls, assuming they're still active."

_"But I wasn't, and now everyone else is in danger! Bulma and the others will bring everyone back-just for them all to die again when Frieza goes to Earth!"_

"Truthfully, I had some doubt regarding Earth's value as an acquisition. This... **disaster**  has only confirmed my assessment, and indeed amplified it. Earth's continued existence is a direct threat to my empire. It must be destroyed without delay."

_"After that...we'll all be dead. For good."_

"After that, I will requisition this planet after killing as many of the Namekians as I can afford to. The child will serve as a useful source of information regarding the Dragon Balls...and, perhaps, something of a curious plaything."

_"Chi Chi...Gohan...Krillin, Bulma...Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu...everyone. The whole planet will just be...gone."_

"With his...assistance, I'm sure that my dream of immortality will be achieved sooner or later. And then...then I'll have all the time in the world to personally wipe you monkey scum off the face of the universe. I just thought you should know all of this...before you  **die**."

Frieza began to charge up a finger beam, pointed directly at the back of Goku's head. Goku, meanwhile, struggled to stand.

 _"I...I can't let that happen! I can't! I've already failed to protect everyone_ twice _now! I can't let it happen again!"_

Frieza chuckled. "You know, I really must thank you, monkey. In spite of all the indignities I have suffered today...this will be one of my most cherished memories."

With all of these thoughts in his mind, this final proclamation made something inside of Goku snap.

 _"He...he's killed so many people. Tortured them, hurt them in ways I can't even imagine. And he...enjoys it. He fawns over every detail, in every act of cruelty. He's a monster. He'll kill everybody on Earth, and then he'll just keep killing...because_ I. Was too. Weak _."_

Goku felt something. A feeling that was almost familiar, yet...different. His heart began to beat rapidly in his chest. Every muscle in his body felt like it was being pulled taut, straining against some invisible force. His muscle mass itself was expanding, growing not quite as much as with the Kaio-ken, but enough to produce a noticeable change. It was almost like using the Kaio-ken, but stretched out, and more intense than he had ever felt. His ki was rising rapidly, beyond anything he could have imagined. His senses also reached new heights, particularly his awareness of the ki surrounding him. He could sense a small flicker of light in Piccolo's chest...and nothing else, save for the distant ki of Dende heading towards them.

More than any physical change, however, he felt a profound change in his own mind. His thoughts were becoming erratic, like a continuous angry outburst. Scattered fragments about Frieza and the deaths of his friends played through his mind over and over again in an endless loop. More worrying than that, however, were brief flashes of desires he never knew he could manifest. His mind produced a continual series of violent scenes in which he brutally attacked Frieza in all kinds of ways. He found himself enjoying the images far more than any person should.

His tears stopped as his grief for Gohan and the others morphed into a feeling of rage unlike any he'd ever experienced. The mental strain of the entire process was so difficult to bear that even speaking became an issue. Nevertheless, as his rage seemed to reach a crescendo, he let out a scattered threat, burning with intense anger.

"I...I won't let you...get away with this!"

Frieza took a step away from Goku involuntarily, his finger still pointed at the back of Goku's head.

"Oh? And just how are you going to stop me,  **monkey**?" He charged up the finger beam even more, intent upon making sure that Goku would die. Goku, meanwhile, felt his entire body pulsing with energy as the transformation ran its course. For a brief instant, his hair and eyes changed color as his aura flared up with a new intensity, enough to knock Frieza back with an elbow to the face. Firing wide, Frieza stumbled backward as Goku shifted back, his body in all the more pain after this brief release. Now on his feet, he shakily turned towards Frieza, a murderous look in his eyes.

"You..." he growled, seething with fury. "You killed the Namekians. You killed my people. You killed my friends. ...You killed my  **son**." With every sentence, his pain only intensified along with his rage, while Frieza looked back at him too confused to do much of anything. For a moment, he stood there growling, before he finally got out a warning. "No...more.  **No**!  **More**! Do you hear me?! I'm not going to let you kill anyone else, Frieza! Only  **one** more person is going to die today..." His hair and eyes briefly changed color again, his aura flaring up even further as his body struggled to access a transformation leagues beyond what it had been capable of before. As he shifted back, Goku was left seething with both anger and pain, struggling against what he was experiencing. His mind fraught with turmoil, he suddenly found himself in a moment of quiet, the calm in a mental storm the likes of which he couldn't quite process. Inside it, he only heard a single voice, coming from somewhere deep within his mind. It spoke softly, yet firmly, and thus, Goku found himself wanting to listen to it. After what felt like an eternity, the voice finally rang clear through his head.

_"Let go."_

With this, all of the barriers set in place to stop this transformation he was undergoing gave way, and Goku's ki exploded in a fiery burst of sheer power. When the initial rush subsided and Goku was able to settle into this new state, he could vaguely see Frieza looking at him with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Without a word, he tilted his head upwards, looking Frieza directly in the eye and scowling. Caught off guard by this, Frieza was left stunned by the look in Goku's eyes, now shining with a cold teal glare. Gone was any of his usual cheeriness, or even his usual brand of determination. In their place, there was only deep, unfettered hatred, the likes of which Frieza had never seen before. With his mind no longer being held in check, Goku finished his threat, in a voice which wasn't quite his own.

"It's not going to be me."

* * *

Whoo! Finally done with this!

Sorry about the delay, everyone. I was supposed to be back from my trip yesterday, but all sorts of airport shenanigans conspired to leave me stuck for another day, and arriving home fairly late. I also took some time to make some final revisions, and as a result, this update is way past the time I would've liked to upload this. Hope you guys can bear with me on this, as I may come back to add some other stuff later. Still, though, at least it's done and up on the day I promised.

In other news, I looked into a few things while I was on vacation, and realized I might've screwed up on the immortal Saiyan thing, since apparently Zamasu's immortality manifested in the form of regenerating from any injury. Since Zamasu is the only canon example of full immortality, this technically means that I wrote Dende's experience with it earlier wrong, and also means that an immortal Saiyan would receive zenkai boosts for as long as they could do so. Thus, there's no reason Goku or Gohan couldn't have been made immortal, and which would've been helpful as well since they'd just keep regenerating from any lethal injury. Still, in the end, the story isn't impacted too badly by this oversight, so we could possibly make the argument that King Kai isn't fully aware of the mechanics of immortality granted by the Dragon Balls, or just have me rewrite that whole thing. Idk, whatever you guys think is best.

Anywho, responses!

GhostKing666 says:

"Just pointing this out, Jeice is from planet Brench(same as Salza actually), which like planet Vegeta and planet Zoon has 10X's earth's standard gravity. So you probably shouldn't expect him to struggle there just because of the gravity."

Huh. Did not know that. Well, at any rate, he'll be sparring with Recoome, who will get a gravity boost, so it shouldn't cause too much of a power disparity. Also, we don't really know how long he lived on that planet, so he might not be fully conditioned to fighting in ten times gravity anyway.

Guest says:

"Jeice and Recoome are going to Planet Zoon, eh? I think I see what you're planning there, but it'll probably be awhile judging by the original canon. Anyway, really liking the story so far. Some cool twists, and divergences from the original story. Looking forward to more!"

Actually, I had a completely different plan for them before seeing this, but after reading this and thinking about it, I'm actually liking another one more. I think you have some idea of what I mean already, but I'll let it play out in a subsequent chapter.

Next up, power levels!

Gohan(post-Zenkai): 8,000,000. This is from doing his darndest to get up to Frieza's maximum level, Piccolo's full power Special Beam Cannon, and factoring in his earlier power. He sensed Frieza's power at varying stages and is trying to get to where he can fight him, but his body can only push him up so far even with such a powerful attack running him through.

Frieza(heavily wounded, 50%): 50,000,000; 100,000,000 at 100%

Goku(Super Saiyan): 215,000,000 under ideal conditions, but he's obviously been put through the wringer by Frieza and thus isn't operating anywhere near peak performance.

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic night, and take care. I'll see you in two weeks with Chapter 24.


	25. The Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After witnessing Frieza murder his friends and his firstborn son, a new power has awoken within Goku, a legendary transformation fueled by rage which has not been seen for over a thousand years! Will this "Super Saiyan" form be enough to defeat Frieza, or are Goku's efforts truly in vain? And what of the fate of the other characters in this drama? Find out all of this and more in the penultimate chapter of Hermit's Frieza Saga, right now!

Frieza's ship sat abandoned in the empty clearing in which it had initially landed, only one small impact crater near the front remaining to disturb the landscape. Various holes in the roof and hull plating were scattered about the ship: although emergency bulkheads could seal off most compartments, the sheer scope of the damage would make any attempt at achieving liftoff foolhardy at best. This would, of course, be rendered moot by the irreparable damage to the ship's engines, leaving it permanently grounded. Sections of the ship were cast in complete darkness, the accumulation of damage to various power lines outside of the interior plating making it impossible to sustain normal operation throughout all areas of the ship. In other areas, the lights flickered intermittently for the same reason. And, making matters worse for the ship's sole occupant, the power coupling responsible for the operation of all of the remaining medical pods had recently been reduced to little but melted scrap metal.

Seconds after this damage first occurred, the operating systems within the pods each attempted in vain to sustain normal operations by drawing on emergency power reserves. As it would happen, all connections to that reserve system, as well as the reserve system itself, had been torn apart through successive forced entries and exits of the vessel over the last few days. Within two minutes, what little reserves the only active pod had would be completely drained, whereupon it would cease pumping vital chemicals into the healing tank solution. Without these chemicals, the very same compound which could heal almost any injury imaginable would become toxic to any sapient life inside. After continuing on for as long as it could, a chemical stimulant was released into the solution, in the hope that the occupant would be capable of surviving until being transferred to Medical Station B.

Vegeta awoke with a start to the sound of klaxons within the other pods blaring, before slowly lowering in volume as their power reserves leaked out. Adrenalin quickly flowing into his veins, he acted quickly, freeing himself from the tank before his vision blurred, and he fell to the ground. Upon inspection, he quickly determined that the chest wound he had inflicted on his own body was not sufficiently healed. It didn't take much to conclude that, without some means of adequate medical treatment, he would soon perish from blood loss, regardless of the repairs the healing tank had conducted over the course of its work.

Although his head still spun from blood loss and pain, Vegeta nevertheless managed to charge enough ki into the power of flight, ramming through the ship's hull once more. Unable to regulate his descent, he swiftly crashed into the dirt, but not before determining that there was still one Attack Ball remaining. Putting in every ounce of effort he could muster, he pushed himself up out of the dirt and turned around, stumbling towards the crater as if in the midst of a drunken stupor. Slowing himself just as he stumbled at the crater's edge, he landed on his feet just outside of the access hatch, opening it with a rough slam onto the access panel. After an arduous thirty seconds, he had managed to get himself into a seated position within the craft, blood trailing along the hatch and staining some of the controls.

Focusing on inputting the coordinates became increasingly difficult as the injury was aggravated even further, causing Vegeta to simply press the launch button for its pre-programmed coordinates, not sufficiently processing just where the pod was taking him. With a shudder, the pod managed to launch itself out of the crater and into the sky at dizzying speeds, lulling its occupant into stasis as it streaked off towards a remote sector of the galaxy.

* * *

For a few tense seconds, neither Goku or Frieza said anything as they stared each other down, the capsule ship mere meters away from either of them. Frieza was simply left dumbfounded as Goku kept his eyes locked onto him, his hateful gaze unwavering from the intergalactic tyrant. Suddenly, however, a small sensation in the back of his mind made itself known. For a moment, he was unsure what exactly it was. It definitely seemed to be somebody's ki signature, but with how faint it was, he couldn't quite make it out beyond the fact that it certainly didn't belong to Gohan, Krillin, or Yamcha. With a slight start, barely readable on his face, he glanced off to his left, where Piccolo's body lay sprawled out in front of the ship.

" _No way..."_ he thought, and yet, when he focused on the signature, it was unmistakably coming from the body of his fallen friend.

Without wasting a moment, Goku sent off a wave of ki in the direction of Piccolo's body, supplementing the Namekian's rapidly draining reserves and then quickly surpassing any amount of ki the warrior could've held through his own power. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but slowly, a sickening sound could be heard if one was close enough to the body: a kind of squelching sound as torn pieces of flesh and bone began to mesh together, almost as if they were compelled by an unknown force. Goku continued pouring in energy, while Frieza simply looked on, even more confused.

"What the...?" the tyrant muttered to himself. "I-I  **killed** him! He should be dead!"

And yet, before his eyes, the hole he himself tore through the warrior's chest, narrowly missing his heart, began to sew itself shut, and eventually, Piccolo's ki signature flared up in intensity. Goku shut off the flow of ki from his outstretched hand, and Piccolo's remaining injuries were swiftly attended to by the remaining reserves of ki which Goku had left in his body. Although severely weakened, Piccolo was unquestionably alive. He opened his eyes and pushed himself slightly off the ground with a start, a hand instinctively reaching towards the space where the hole had been. Finding himself relatively uninjured, Piccolo was then left to ponder this sudden change which had come over Goku, as well as his immense reserves of power.

"Can you move?" Goku asked, in a tone so devoid of emotion that it reminded Piccolo of his own manner of speaking in some instances. Hearing such a tone from a man like Goku left him more than a little perturbed, and all the more confused.

"Goku?" he asked weakly. "W-what happened to-?"

Goku suddenly turned towards him, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Maybe you didn't hear me. Can. You.  **Move**?" he repeated, firmly yet with more than a hint of angry irritation. Piccolo felt compelled to respond promptly.

"Y-yes! Yes, I can, uh," he stammered out, rapidly pushing himself to his feet. "I can move."

Goku nodded wordlessly before jerking his head towards Gohan's body. "Take Gohan's body, take the ship, pick up Dende, then wait for my signal. There...there isn't anything left of the others."

"W-wait, but how will you-?"

"Did I fricking stutter?!" he snapped angrily, giving both Piccolo and Frieza pause. "If you stay here, you or Gohan's body might get caught in the crossfire! Take him, get to the ship, and get out of here  **now**!"

Piccolo was left in shock. The Goku standing before him was completely unlike the man he knew. And he wasn't the only one stunned.

" _Goku...something's happened to him,"_ Kami said within Piccolo's mind. " _This power...it seems to be fueled by rage. It's made him irritable, quick-tempered...almost vicious."_

" _Indeed. Our best course would be to do as he says."_

" _Quite."_

Piccolo hurriedly moved over to where Gohan's body lay, scooping it up gently into his arms. He tried not to focus on the piercing gaze of the alien tyrant only scant feet away, who himself was confounded by proceedings. Eventually, however, as Piccolo stood for a few seconds to look at the form of his student, Frieza growled angrily to himself.

"I don't know what this transformation is, monkey," he spat out, "But I promised that I would not allow  **any** of your companions to leave alive!" No sooner had a small point of bright pink ki began to form on his outstretched fingertips than Goku noticed the movement and sprung into action. Frieza fired the beam directly at Piccolo and the child in his arms, only for Goku to fly in faster than Frieza could react.

"HYAH!" he cried out, knocking the finger beam towards the ground with a swat of his hand and causing a small explosion in the dirt.

"What?!" Frieza cried out in surprise, before Goku sent him flying through the air with a powerful punch. " _What?!"_ the tyrant thought, still only barely registering what was happening. No sooner had he begun to concentrate on stopping himself than Goku sent him flying into an island below with a powerful double blow to the back. Piccolo watched the battle with awe as he sensed merely a glimmer of Goku's newfound power, as a result of his weakened state.

" _Incredible...his power alone could crush me into nothing..."_

Kami chuckled in his mind. " _Interesting. I would've thought you'd be angry that Goku has surpassed you even further, not awed beyond words."_

" _...I can multitask."_

Shaking aside his inner thoughts, Piccolo turned to the task Goku had given him, carrying Gohan into the ship as fast as he could manage. After gingerly setting Gohan down onto the deck, Piccolo looked to the right of the body, expecting to find Nail's corpse not too far away. However, there was no such body to be found anywhere on the ship, leaving Piccolo somewhat taken aback. Kami chuckled inside of his mind.

" _Obviously somebody interceded on our young friend's behalf with regards to keeping his body in Other World."_

" _Hm. Then he may very well receive training from King Kai himself. I am...admittedly curious to see the results of such training."_

" _Well, in any event...?"_

" _Ah, right. Of course."_

Without any further comment, Piccolo put his thoughts on that subject aside and made his way to the ship's control panel.

"Ship, set a course away from this planet at maximum maneuvering speed."

After a few seconds, an affirmative beeping sound could be heard from a speaker nearby. "Command registered," the ship's A.I. responded. "Query: should departure be postponed until Son Goku is also aboard?"

Piccolo reached out with his senses for a moment. From what little he could tell, Frieza appeared to be firing off a flurry of attacks, which Goku parried easily with his own.

"...No. Take off immediately, and await my instructions once we're beyond the planet's orbit."

"Understood." The entry hatch sealed shut as Piccolo began to sense the rumbling of the ship's thrusters underneath him. "Take-off occurring in ten...nine...eight..."

Piccolo closed his eyes and reached out once more, seizing upon the strong, radiant light of Goku's ki. As he pondered its intensity, an array of conflicting emotions ran rampant throughout his mind. Anger, envy, confusion, injured pride. But, beyond all of that, there was something else: respect. A genuine, deep-seated respect, for the warrior who had been his rival throughout his entire life. Piccolo chuckled a bit to himself as the ship began to shudder, just about ready to launch.

"Good luck, Son Goku. I look forward to testing my strength against your own, once this battle is over."

With that, the ship lifted up off the ground, taking off at the maximum speed it could manage without breaking the light barrier. Frieza, now finding himself locked into melee combat with the Saiyan warrior, only briefly glimpsed the ship taking off out of the corner of his eye. With a growl of frustration, the tyrant suddenly powered up for an instant, overcoming Goku's guard and sending him flying backwards a few feet with a powerful blow. Free for a moment, he attempted to fire off a Death Beam at the retreating craft, but found himself stymied yet again as Goku moved faster than he could react to place himself in front of the beam.

Recoiling slightly from the direct hit and bleeding from his mouth, Goku was easy prey for a series of blows from Frieza, until the golden fighter was able to regain the advantage. Before the tyrant knew it, Frieza's right fist was caught inside of Goku's left hand, and try as he might, he could not free himself as Goku pressed down harder. Frieza clenched his teeth in an effort to repress the scream of pain threatening to come out as each bone in his hand collapsed with an audible crunch. Just when Frieza couldn't take it anymore, Goku suddenly let go, leaving him free to fly backwards away from the fighter. Cradling his broken hand in the other, Frieza looked at Goku with a mixture of fury and fear.

"You...where did you get such power?!" he asked, although, in the back of his mind, he knew. The legend changed considerably over the centuries, with few details being all that reliable. All that was known for certain was that the Super Saiyan would lust for battle above all else, was entirely without mercy, and possessed immense power. Above all, the legends said that this warrior would see his power unlocked through righteous fury, seeking to punish those who he considered to be evil.

Frieza wanted to deny it. He wanted to say that this was some fluke, some genetic abnormality. Perhaps that was exactly what it was, and he could simply curse his luck that the Saiyan he chose to fight possessed such an abnormality. But, as he stared back into the furious abyss of Goku's teal eyes, he began to connect the dots. Goku continued to do battle with him, and unlike before, he seemed to display little in the way of restraint or mercy. His power was certainly greater than half of Frieza's own, at the very least, perhaps more. And, above all, he'd only transformed after Frieza killed his son and companions. This, combined with the speech he'd just heard from him a moment before, led him to only one possible conclusion.

"I think you know the answer, Frieza. Even if, like me, you weren't entirely sure if you believed it," Goku replied with a smirk. Frieza's eyes widened sharply as Goku apparently divined his thought process. "I'm a Saiyan, who traveled here from Earth in order to save my friends, and defeat you. The legendary warrior, with a pure heart awakened by rage." Goku held out both of his hands and powered up even further as he accessed a deeper reserve of this new form's power. "I am Son Goku, the Super Saiyan!"

Frieza floated there in silence for a moment, before he began to chuckle with increasing frequency. Goku looked him in the eyes, seemingly unfazed by the tyrant's mad levity.

"So..." he said once he had finished, "there is truth to the legend, after all." After another round of chuckling, he let out a cry of frustration, letting his arms fall to either side of him as he found himself in a situation he wasn't sure if he could get out of.

" _Damn him! Damn him to infinity! The idea that I, Lord Frieza, have been bested by a filthy, low-born_ Saiyan _! This is a nightmare, that's what it is! I'm just going to wake up, and I'll kill him easily! I'll be victorious! I'll be_ Frieza _!"_

"Frieza...it's over," Goku said, startling Frieza from his thoughts. As Frieza's fury grew, Goku held out his hands and cupped them together in the familiar gesture, twisting his body so that his back was facing Frieza at an angle. As he readied himself to charge up a Kamehameha, Frieza growled, still unsure what to do yet more determined than ever to defeat the Saiyan warrior.

"The likes of you will never kill me," Frieza boasted. "I'd kill myself first!"

"Are you going to do something, Frieza, or are you content to just sit there?" Goku called out in response, before a thought occurred to him. "I was kind of hoping I'd get to see your full power before the end of this, but if you'd rather not try it, it's no skin off my nose."

Frieza's eyes widened slightly, before his brain began to conjure up an idea. " _Yes...yes, that's it! He's only lasted this long against no more than 75% of my power! With 100%, it may be close...but between my ace in the hole and my sheer, unrestrained power, this 'Super Saiyan' will be reduced to nothing but cosmic dust! Yes, ohoho YES! All I need to do is take the time to charge up, and the monkey will soon find the tables turned against him!"_

"So, monkey, you wish to see the absolute peak of my power?" Frieza asked. As Goku smirked a bit, he smirked in response. "Very well, but I warn you: no mortal being in the universe, not even my own father, could hope to match 100% of my power."

"We'll see about that," Goku replied. Without another word, he canceled his attack, allowing the ki to dissipate and crossing his arms together in front of his chest. "If you need to charge up for it, take as much time as you need. I'll wait."

Frieza laughed for the first time since the Saiyan had transformed, confident that he would soon triumph in this contest. "How gracious of you, monkey! I shall have to thank you for your generosity when I pound your face into the dirt!"

Goku's confident smirk only grew as Frieza held out his arms, ki beginning to build all around him as he began to go even further beyond. "And I'll have to thank you for giving me a halfway decent fight before I vaporize you into nothing."

Frieza grinned. " _That's what you think, monkey!"_ As his ki began to build at an exponential rate, his muscles slowly expanded in mass, overflowing with the power he was pumping into them. Several cuts and bruises along his face, including his broken knuckles, stitched themselves together as the process continued, and Frieza's veins bulged all throughout his body as it strained to complete this latest, and greatest, transformation. Frieza laughed maniacally as he grew past 75% of his power, and even further beyond, while evidently struggling to concentrate on gathering his power.

"Behold, Super Saiyan! Behold, my power! BEHOLD, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!"

* * *

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO-!"

King Kai stood in a field at the outer edge of his planet's surface, watching the battle between Goku and Frieza unfold. Standing near the north kai's home, Roshi and Chiaotzu stood alongside a third figure who had just traveled to the Other World from another plane of existence. Sitting atop a crystal ball which seemed to float under its own power, a comically short woman in black robes and a witch's hat watched the martial arts master's panic with slight irritation.

"What's up with him?" Fortuneteller Baba asked. Roshi sighed.

"I'm not entirely sure," he remarked, slightly concerned himself. "He's been watching events transpire on Namek. It would seem he's been on edge for quite some time. He didn't even notice you come in!"

"Well, I'll let you have fun with that, little brother," she replied. "I'm only here to make sure that Chiaotzu here makes it back to the mortal coil." She paused as she looked down at the floating Earthling. "Assuming, of course, that you do indeed want to return?"

Chiaotzu nodded. "I'm sure that I could get pretty powerful if I stayed here, but, well..." He chuckled a little. "Between Tien's recklessness and Blonde Launch's impulsiveness,  **somebody**  has got to keep an eye on the two of them."

Baba chuckled in turn. "Yes, from what Roshi's told me about them, I'm sure that's true. Alright then! Come along, little guy. Let's get you back to your family."

Chiaotzu smiled. There really wasn't a better description.

"Say hello to everyone on Earth for me!" Roshi called over his shoulder. Baba grunted in response, before Roshi heard a loud pop, and she and Chiaotzu were gone. With this matter taken care of, Roshi turned his attention to more pressing concerns.

"King Kai, snap out of it!" Roshi bellowed, stopping him in the middle of his tirade. "What exactly is going on down there?"

"YOUR STUPID-!" King Kai began before taking a deep breath, trying in vain to calm himself down as he turned around to face Roshi. "Your stupid student is letting Frieza reach 100% of his power!"

Roshi nodded slowly. "...I see. And I'm assuming that your frantic screaming was a telepathic admonishment?"

King Kai nodded frantically. "I keep trying to contact him, but he's not answering! What is that man  **thinking**?!"

Roshi put his hand onto King Kai's shoulder. "Relax, King Kai. Goku may be clueless...on a lot of things, but he's not a fool. He probably wishes to secure the best possible fight for himself, and he wouldn't do so if he wasn't confident that he would win no matter what."

"Hm. He was confident that he'd beat Frieza before, and found himself beaten utterly, an inch away from the grave. Even with this new transformation, I'm not certain that-"

"Hold up, transformation?" Roshi asked, confused. "Did he find some way to turn into a giant monkey again?"

King Kai shook his head, before his antennae perked up. "See for yourself," he said, and suddenly Roshi's vision of the surrounding area became interposed with a view of the planet Namek. Goku floated silently as Frieza continued to gather energy, just about ready to unleash the full extent of his power. Roshi stood there mesmerized by every detail: the enlarged muscles, the golden aura matching his spiked up golden hair, and his teal eyes. Above all, however, Roshi took note of the Saiyan's expression: enraged, yet also cold and calculating, with a hint of complete ruthlessness. An expression Roshi would've expected more of someone like Piccolo or Vegeta. Certainly not the bright, optimistic young man he had taken under his wing as a boy.

"It hasn't just altered his appearance," Roshi said. "It's done something to his mental state. He looks like an entirely different person." The old master paused, considering the situation at hand as he took his hand off of King Kai's shoulder. "What do you know about it?"

King Kai sighed as he recalled what information he could. "The Saiyans have a legend, one that has been passed among them since they left their original homeworld, Sadala. It states that a powerful warrior will be born among them every thousand years. None of them knew much about what this warrior would look like, only that they would desire to fight above all else, and that their rage would be awoken by righteous anger."

Roshi sighed regretfully. "If that's true...Frieza must've killed somebody alongside that Namekian warrior you'd requested to come here."

"He killed almost all of them."

Roshi's eyes widened with a start. "W-what?!"

King Kai nodded. "Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan were taken out, one by one, while Dende was thrown into space by Frieza. If Goku hadn't transformed when he did, he and Piccolo may well have followed them." After a pause, King Kai added, "Touch my shoulder again. You should be able to sense their ki from here that way." Roshi complied, and indeed, he could sense the ki signatures of Gohan and his fallen students, roughly in the vicinity of King Yemma's chambers, along with several others he couldn't quite recognize. One of those two signatures appeared to be rapidly approaching the planet, but Roshi quickly identified it as belonging to Nail, who had been approved to receive training from King Kai, according to the man himself.

"Well...from the sound of things, that would definitely do it," Roshi finally said. King Kai nodded in agreement.

"And now, Goku has healed Piccolo and sent him off in his spaceship to find Dende, while he fights Frieza alone. If he fails..."

Roshi chuckled. "If there's one thing I've learned about Goku in all the years I've known him, it's that he gives his all in everything he does. He's been up against long odds before, and he's almost always managed to get the better of them in the end. I have a feeling that this latest fight won't be any different."

King Kai sighed as he resumed watching Goku's battle. "I hope that you're right, Roshi. For if not...Goku and his friends on Earth are surely doomed."

With no real follow up to a statement like that, the mood on King Kai's planet was somber for quite some time, before a telepathic message brought the pair of them out of their introspection.

" _King Kai, are you there?"_

King Kai's antennae perked up as the message came through, prompting Roshi to place his hand onto his shoulder to listen in.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Popo! Do you have any news?"

"Wait a second, Mr. Popo can contact you?"

King Kai chuckled. "But of course! Mr. Popo is a denizen of Other World himself. He is capable of contacting anyone he wishes here." Mr. Popo coughed in King Kai's mind, causing him to laugh nervously. "My apologies. You were saying?"

" _Well, I was going to inform you that I have just found the seventh Dragon Ball and am ready to summon Shenron."_

King Kai broke out into a massive grin, while Roshi was left confused. "Wait, what did he say?"

"He's found all of the Dragon Balls on Earth!"

Roshi couldn't help but smile in response to that as well, while Mr. Popo cleared his throat.

" _Before I return to where the others are located and summon the dragon, is there a wish you want me to prioritize?"_

King Kai thought for a moment before turning to Roshi. "The Dragon Balls of Earth can resurrect multiple people at once, right?"

Roshi nodded. "That's how me, Chiaotzu, Krillin, and all the other victims of King Piccolo and his spawn came back to life. Of course, our Dragon Balls also only have one wish, so..."

King Kai considered this. "Hm...well, with nobody left on Namek who could be put in danger and still revived by Earth's Dragon Balls, we might as well make use of their power to revive everyone now."

" _In that case, I will return to the Namekians gathered on Earth and summon Shenron at once."_

"Sounds good! Call me back if anything changes."

" _Of course_ ," Mr. Popo replied, ending the connection. King Kai breathed a heavy sigh, relieved now that he had one less thing to worry about.

"Well, I suppose all I have to do is contact King Yemma and ask him to-"

" _King Kai, are you there?"_ a deep, somewhat growly voice asked inside of his mind, causing King Kai to take pause.

"Well...speak of the god," he said after a second. "What is it, Yemma?"

" _I was just calling to inform you that I've approved two additional applicants for receiving training under you."_

"Krillin and Yamcha?" King Kai asked, to which King Yemma grunted in response. "Ah, excellent! I was just about to call and ask you to funnel them through!"

" _Well, I've undertaken the task of reforming their mortal bodies, so they should be ready to receive training. They flew off towards your planet just a minute ago. Judging by their power level, Krillin should be there in about...16 hours, give or take. Yamcha will take over a day and a half, unless Krillin helps him along."_

"And, of course, Nail will be here in just another hour or two," King Kai said before sighing. "Truly remarkable."

" _Well, in any event...oh! That's right! I was going to approve young Gohan as well, but I wasn't quite sure. Did you want me to send him your way as well?"_

King Kai thought about it for a moment. "...No. I imagine the lad wants nothing more than to be reunited with his family in the world of the living. Besides, I'm not entirely sure what the boy has to learn from me, anyway. His body's still too undeveloped to properly handle the Kaio-ken, and he's so unbelievably strong that I doubt ten times gravity will have much of an effect on him."

" _I understand. I will allow him to pass into the regular afterlife, for what little time he's likely to spend here."_

"Got it. Have a nice day!"

" _Likewise."_

King Kai ended the connection with a somewhat more contented sigh, while Roshi looked over at King Kai with expectation evident on his features. He turned around with a slight smile.

"Well, Roshi...it would appear you're about to get some additional sparring partners."

* * *

"Ahhh...all done."

Frieza floated across from Goku, his muscles enlarged to titanic proportions and the last few nagging injuries left on him more or less healed. The tyrant smiled slightly, his satisfaction evident. Goku, meanwhile, uncrossed his arms, eager to engage in battle now that his foe was far stronger than before.

" _Finally. Now that King Kai's stopped screaming into my skull, I can-"_

Before Goku could even finish the thought, Frieza rammed his fist into his gut with all of his power, causing Goku to let out a sudden gasp of air. Capitalizing on this, Frieza followed up with a series of attacks from all directions, at speeds far faster than he had managed before. When he had beat up on Goku to his satisfaction, Frieza decided to finish him off with a special technique. After the tyrant took a second to channel his ki, Goku found himself encased in a yellow sphere of ki, from which no escape seemed immediately possible. With a sadistic grin on his face, Frieza kicked the sphere off into the distance, where it exploded at a distant point with enough force to vaporize the entire area of impact. Frieza waited a couple seconds before he began to laugh heartily.

"So much for 'the legendary Super Saiyan!' Now you're nothing but the legendary  **corpse**! AHAHAHAHA-!"

Suddenly, however, he felt a rush of wind hit his face, and stared into the eyes of the same man he thought he'd killed. His gi was tattered from the explosion, and several slight cuts and burn marks could be perceived along his body, but by and large, he looked none the worse for the attack.

"I-Impossible...I wasn't holding back at all..."

Goku smirked. "So that wasn't a warm up? Well...that's disappointing." Without any warning, the Super Saiyan flew up to Frieza and punched him in the chest. Unlike in Goku's case, several ribs audibly gave way under the impact, leaving Frieza struggling to repress a cry of pain. Only a second later, Goku floated backwards before kicking Frieza upside the head with a roundhouse kick, sending him sprawling towards the ground.

As Frieza struggled to get up, Goku landed nearby and slowly walked over to where he had hit the dirt. "Of course, I'm not sure I was expecting too much. You flat out admitted I was hitting two-thirds of your power before, and at this point, you're looking pretty worse for wear. So, if this is the best you can do..." His aura flared up as he said the words, evidently waiting for Frieza to get back up. The tyrant looked at him with seething fury.

"You want to see the best I can do?!" he asked, causing Goku to smirk even further. With an angry battle cry, Frieza's purple aura flared up as well, and he flew at Goku with only slightly less speed than before. The tyrant unleashed another flurry of blows, but Goku blocked all of them with little effort.

"Hey, not bad! You're actually making me try a little here!" Goku taunted, angering his opponent even more. Even so, although he was more determined than ever to break Goku's guard, Frieza still found himself stymied at every turn. Eventually, an attempt at a right hook from Frieza was easily avoided, prompting Goku to move to Frieza's side and grab onto his tail. Before Frieza could react, the Saiyan swung him around for several seconds and threw him into the air. Frieza grit his teeth and poured a considerable amount of energy into stopping himself. As he looked down at the golden warrior below, his rage only grew.

" _No...no, this can't be happening! I'm fighting at full power! How strong could this monkey_ be _?!"_

Goku, meanwhile, smiled slightly in anticipation, ready to test the mettle of his opponent. " _Let's kick things up a notch, shall we?"_ He began charging another Kamehameha between his hands, looking towards the distant form of Frieza with a mixture of anticipation and grim determination. After a few seconds, he began to sense something unusual from the tyrant: his ki began to increase even more, just seconds before he let out another cry of defiance. His muscles bulked up even further, and he began to surround himself in a massive sphere of purple ki before flying towards the Saiyan warrior at a reduced speed.

Goku took a deep breath. Based on what additional power he could sense coming from Frieza, he didn't have too much to worry about, but it couldn't hurt to put some extra punch into his own attack anyway. He charged up what ki he could manage under the circumstances, given his own injuries and the apparent limits of this new transformation. When Frieza was only a couple dozen meters away, Goku decided it was now or never.

"Prepare to die, Frieza!" Goku bellowed as he readied himself to fire. "KAMEHAME **HA**!"

A massive, brilliant blue beam of ki shot out from Goku's outstretched hands and met Frieza's energy sphere head on, colliding in a dramatic display of flashing lights. Although incredibly durable, Frieza could quickly tell that he and the sphere were being slowed down in their effort to effectively combat Goku's attack. He attempted to escape, but soon found that the sphere's impressive durability was likewise beginning to falter under Goku's assault. As a result, he was forced to concentrate all of his energy into maintaining the sphere, while continuing to search for a means of dodging the attack before it could collapse the sphere entirely. Frieza may have succeeded had Goku not powered up even further with a mighty battle cry, pouring even more energy into the Kamehameha and causing the sphere to slowly break down. Frieza watched with growing horror as, despite his best efforts, the sphere grew smaller and smaller under the weight of the Kamehameha.

Bracing himself for the impact, Frieza decided to refocus his efforts entirely onto escape, dropping the sphere and powering up as much as he could. With a single burst of flight, Frieza managed to launch himself clear of the attack, but not before it tore a small gash through his side. As purple blood spurted out of the wound, Frieza scrambled to repair it, his position in the air faltering as he did so.

So preoccupied was he that he failed to notice Goku's retreating Kamehameha beam suddenly veering away from its intended course away from the planet, and bearing down directly onto the galactic emperor's back. No sooner had Frieza heard the noise of the beam behind him and turned around to investigate than it hit him head on, sending him flying backwards. Caught on the defensive and still reeling from his brush with it the first time, Frieza was caught completely unprepared.

Although he tried in vain to block the attack with a second energy sphere, he could feel his reserves draining bit by bit the longer he remained in contact with it. Even with all of his power behind him, he could do little but slow down the rate at which he was thrown backwards by the attack. Like before, the shell of purple ki protecting his body gave out, much faster than before, and he was left blocking it with nothing but his own body. It didn't take long for this, too, to become too much for the tyrant to bear. With no means of escape and his arms already burning from the strain, Frieza was completely enveloped by the beam, forced to devote what energy he had left towards protecting himself as the brilliant blue light of the Kamehameha completely filled his vision.

* * *

Several minutes prior, a helicopter could be heard beginning its landing sequence overhead, forcing some of the Namekians sitting in the clearing just outside West City to clear the area ahead of time. The warriors and younger villagers, easily among the most able bodied of the Namekians assembled, were left the unenviable task of transporting their fallen brothers onto the craft once it landed, and they began carrying the corpses to spots near the landing site almost as soon as they heard it arriving. Tsuno, having left the Lookout, supervised the Namekians, doing his best to mask his sadness at the sight of his fellow elders. Bulma, meanwhile, sat with Tien and Launch, watching her father's craft touch down and doing some catching up. Launch remained in her blonde form, leaning onto Tien until he winced slightly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Launch asked, with a concern Bulma wouldn't have expected from her in this form. Tien waved it off.

"My leg's just a bit sore, that's all."

Launch put her finger to her chin. "Really? Well, that would make sense, seeing as you weren't supposed to start walking on it for another  **two days**!"

Tien chuckled. "The doctor is being overly cautious about this whole thing."

"Uh, hello?! She's your  **doctor** -it's her  **job**  to be overly cautious when it comes to your health!"

"I know what my body is capable of, Launch. I know the pace at which it can recover."

Launch let out a long, drawn out sigh before looking Tien in the eyes. "Just...please, at least try to take it easy for a while?"

Tien was left speechless for a second before nodding. "I'll try."

Bulma, meanwhile, had to make a considerable effort to hide her amusement at the whole exchange, but found herself relieved when the helicopter finally touched down. Bulma got up off the ground and began walking towards it now that the noise had died down.

"Alright, there it is. Let's load everyone up, and we can settle them inside of-OH GOD!"

As luck would have it, she had been only seconds away from walking directly into the path of Fortuneteller Baba and Chiaotzu. As it stood, their sudden appearance left her extremely terrified, and she stumbled backwards in her attempt to get away before fully processing who exactly it was.

" _Wait...is that-?"_

"CHIAOTZU!" Tien and Launch cried simultaneously, just as the small figure floated off of the crystal ball and rocketed towards them as fast as he could fly. The three met in a joyous group hug, Launch perhaps squeezing him a bit too hard. Bulma smiled at the exchange while Baba chuckled.

"Welp, you kids have fun. I need to get back home pronto, and unfortunately, this thing only goes between here and Other World, so it's gonna take me a bit."

The three paused as Launch and Tien turned their attention to her for a moment.

"Thank you," Tien said, to which Baba simply smiled before teleporting back to Other World. Now given the time to settle down while the Namekians busied themselves with loading the bodies onto the massive helicopter, Tien was able to notice something subtly different about Chiaotzu. "Hang on a second...you got stronger!"

Chiaotzu chuckled. "I didn't end up doing too much once I arrived at King Kai's planet, but I did manage to do some rudimentary exercises in the week I was there."

Tien was left stunned. "One week of training is the cause of this?"

"From what I heard, it mostly had to do with the gravity. It's ten times ours."

Tien thought this over for a moment while Bulma chimed in. "Huh. You know, the ship Goku and Piccolo left on had a device designed to go up to one hundred times Earth gravity. I could probably build a training chamber over at Capsule Corp with that technology, if you'd like."

Tien smiled slightly. "Yes, that would be most appreciated." " _Particularly if I have any hope of catching up to either of them."_

Bulma smiled. "Great! I'll talk to my dad about it when we get to Capsule Corp." She turned around and began walking towards the helicopter once more. "With luck, we should be able to get something set up within a couple months, so you can-AGH!"

She found herself stopped in her tracks as Mr. Popo teleported in directly in front of her, sitting atop his magic carpet. While she was left furious over the odds of this happening twice in one day, Mr. Popo stepped off calmly and took out a bag hanging from his side.

"I have successfully gathered the Dragon Balls," he announced to the people assembled, causing everyone to pause in what they were doing. Bulma's face brightened up upon hearing this news.

"Great! So what are we waiting for? Let's make that wish already!"

Mr. Popo nodded, and moved to an open space far enough away from the helicopter before opening the bag and allowing the Dragon Balls to spill out onto the grass.

"Now, before we begin, are we certain of the wish we would like to ask of Shenron?"

"Wishes," Tsuno interjected, leaving everyone surprised.

"Wait, hang on, wishes? As in, more than one?" Chiaotzu asked, to which Tsuno nodded.

"When I was restoring your Dragon Balls, I was able to modify them slightly. As before, no wish can be cast more than once, and wishes to revive multiple people are still limited by a one year time frame. However, the Dragon Balls of Earth can now cast a maximum of three wishes, two if one of the wishes used restores multiple people to life."

The group was further astonished by this information, while the slightest hint of irritation passed on Mr. Popo's features.

"You could've informed me of this before I began my search."

Tsuno chuckled slightly. "Forgive me. That was an oversight on my part."

Mr. Popo nodded. "Well, in any event, we will at the very least have two wishes to ask of Shenron. What should those wishes be?"

The group thought about this for a moment before Bulma piped up. "Well, we obviously want to bring back all of the Namekians killed by Frieza and his men, but Nappa and Vegeta killed a lot of people on Earth, too. So, if we can group the two together somehow, then we should be able to bring back everyone, provided they weren't already brought back by the Dragon Balls."

Chiaotzu furrowed his brow in thought. "What if we phrased the wish to revive everyone killed by Frieza and anyone who works for him or used to work for him? From what King Kai told me and Master Roshi about what was happening on Namek, that would include Vegeta and Nappa."

Bulma and Tien nodded. "It's worth a shot," Bulma remarked.

"And the second wish?" Mr. Popo asked, yet received little to no response from the group. "Well, I suppose we can 'play it by ear,' as it were."

Over the next couple minutes, the other Namekians, aware that their brothers would soon be revived, gently set down the bodies they were still carrying and made sure to arrange the ones loaded into the helicopter as comfortably as they could. When this task was completed to Tsuno's satisfaction, he nodded towards Mr. Popo.

"Now...let us begin." With a deep breath, Mr. Popo looked upwards towards the sky and began the incantation. "Eternal Dragon, by your name, I summon you forth: Shenron!"

Upon completing this proclamation, the Dragon Balls began to glow with a brilliant yellow light, and a massive beam shot forth towards the heavens before forming into the familiar shape of the Eternal Dragon. As the sky became black as night and dark clouds hung over the group, Shenron looked down upon Mr. Popo and spoke in its booming voice.

"I AM THE ETERNAL DRAGON. STATE YOUR WISHES AND I SHALL GRANT THEM."

The others gulped nervously. No matter how often they did this, Shenron was always a little intimidating. Mr. Popo spoke up, unaffected by the dragon's intimidating aura.

"Eternal Dragon! We ask that you bring back to life everyone who was killed by Frieza, or anyone who serves or has served under him, within the last year! Some of them are quite a distance from this planet...can you do it?"

The dragon didn't change his expression much, but somehow, the group assembled could tell that he was deep in thought. "I AM NOT COMPLETELY CERTAIN. NEVERTHELESS, I SHALL DO MY BEST TO REVIVE THE NAMEKIANS, THE PEOPLE OF EAST CITY, AND THE EARTHLINGS YAMCHA AND GOHAN, ALONG WITH THE REST OF FRIEZA'S VICTIMS."

With this, Shenron's eyes glowed red, and a loud whine could be heard for some distance around where the dragon floated above. All throughout the clearing and within the helicopter, Namekians who had been long dead before suddenly found themselves restored, with no injuries upon their person. Tsuno and the Namekians joyously greeted their brothers, and Bulma and the others were so captivated by the touching sight that it took them a minute to process what Shenron had just said.

"...Wait, Yamcha's  **dead**?!" Bulma suddenly cried out.

" **Gohan's**  dead?!" Launch asked, equally shocked.

"NOT ANYMORE," Shenron replied promptly, his eyes having returned to their usual intensity. "IN ANY EVENT, I CAN NOW ONLY GRANT ONE MORE WISH. STATE IT, SO THAT I MAY RETURN TO MY SLUMBER."

Mr. Popo cleared his throat and replied calmly.

"Eternal Dragon, we are unsure at this time what our second wish will be. Could you, perhaps, grant us some additional time to decide? Say...five minutes?"

The dragon looked down at Mr. Popo with what passed for irritation on its face, and for the first time, slight sweat drops began to form along the genie's brow. Eventually, it let out a low roar, which could almost be construed as an exasperated sigh.

"...FINE."

* * *

Goku floated above the area where a mountain once stood, but which had since been reduced to rubble by his latest attack. He couldn't quite sense Frieza's ki for a second, before the signature slowly grew brighter. With a slight smirk, he flew down to the source, finding a pile of rubble slowly shifting, as if something was attempting to escape. Goku crossed his arms and waited patiently for the tyrant to escape. After a few seconds, a massive kiai blew all of the rocks to rubble, and Frieza was left panting and furious as Goku looked on with bemusement. His body was flecked all over with cuts and bruises. In particular, both his arms were severely burned all the way to the shoulder from the effort of holding back Goku's attack, and his head sported some of the worst cuts he'd received. Goku regarded the tyrant before speaking up.

"So," he said. "You're not dead."

Frieza let out a bitter laugh, coughing heavily due to his injuries. "You wish."

Goku smiled, a particularly sinister expression forming on his face. " **Great**." Frieza got up off the ground and into a combat stance, while Goku held out his arms and powered up as much as he could. "Now...it's time for me to teach you a lesson."

Frieza laughed in spite of the pain. "Oh, really?"

Goku nodded before looking at Frieza with a hardened scowl. "I'm going to teach you their  **names**."

Without any warning, Goku flew up to Frieza faster than he could see, and rammed his fist into Frieza's chest, breaking every rib in his body that had yet to be broken.

"Gohan."

Not missing a beat, Goku took a step back while Frieza bowled over slightly, before roundhouse kicking him in the face, sending him to the ground.

"Krillin."

Goku walked calmly towards Frieza, who barely managed to get up and attempt to punch Goku. Seeing the attack coming a mile away, Goku sidestepped out of the way before turning around and grabbing the extended arm. With some slight effort, Goku managed to break the tyrant's arm with a swift chop from his other hand , causing him to wince in pain.

"Yamcha."

As Frieza clutched his broken arm, Goku stepped back, placed both arms on Frieza's shoulders, and headbutted the tyrant with enough force to send him stumbling back several feet.

"Nail."

Frieza stumbled further, slightly dizzy from the impact, and looked at Goku with blurred vision.

"This is for them."

Frieza attempted another pass, firing a ki blast from his good hand, but this was easily sidestepped and countered with a powerful right hook, sending Frieza sprawling to the ground.

"For my father!"

Frieza tried to push himself up off the ground, but before he could do so, Goku grabbed his head with both hands and kneed the tyrant directly in the face, breaking his nose.

"For my mother!"

Frieza fell flat onto the ground, pushing himself back into a standing position solely through the power of flight and charging towards him as Goku readied the final blow.

"For everyone you've killed!" he cried before charging all of his ki into a single strike just as Frieza was inches away from the Saiyan. Goku's attack dug deep into the right side of Frieza's chest...and came out the other side.

With a strangled gasp, Frieza's readied arm fell to his side, and he looked down in horror to find that Goku's arm was soaked in his blood. The Saiyan's attack had cleaved straight through the tyrant's chest, in an area which Goku seemed to know wouldn't be immediately lethal. With no further words on his part, Goku promptly yanked his arm back to his side, the action punctuated by the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart. Frieza cried out in pain as he felt copious amounts of blood pouring from the wound. He sunk to his knees, clutching the wound with both hands as blood seeped from his mouth. Goku took a step back and looked at Frieza with a scowl.

"I imagine there's still a functioning Attack Ball around here somewhere," he said, surprising Frieza. "I suggest you find it, immediately."

Frieza's eyes widened a little. "You're...letting me...go?" he asked incredulously. Goku nodded.

"For now, anyway. You wanna know why?" he asked, to which the tyrant was unsure how to respond. Goku pressed on nonetheless. "I'm letting you go because I'm hoping that you're going to live. That you'll learn of what's going to happen next." Goku paused as he grabbed Frieza by the throat, stopping just an inch short of choking the life out of him. "As soon as my friends and family are back safely on Earth, I'm going to go back out into space, and I'm going to start killing whoever tries to replace you. Your father, your mother, whatever trusted soldiers you may have out there in the universe. One by one, no matter how many people try to take your place. Sooner or later, your forces are bound to realize that the 'legendary Super Saiyan' is more than they can chew, and that any attempt to hold on to your empire is doomed to fail. So, they'll stop trying. Your empire will collapse, and all of the people you've spent decades ruling with an iron fist will be free. And in the end? When all of this is said and done, and I find whatever crevice you've hidden yourself in and finish the job... **nobody** is going to mourn your death. Everything that you and your family have ever accomplished will be reduced to nothing. All at the hands...of a worthless. Low-class.  **Saiyan**."

With one last long, drawn out glare, Goku took a step back before floating upwards, gradually turning away from Frieza as he flew up into the sky, intent upon contacting his friends. With some noticeable effort, Frieza tilted his head upwards as he focused on roughly repairing what damage he could with ki.

" _He's just...leaving me here,"_ he thought. " _Leaving me to find a ship and return to my empire."_ For a brief moment, Frieza considered taking Goku's advice and trying to find a ship, but after reflecting on the indignities he had suffered, he angrily decided against it. " _No...no, I will_ not  _turn tail and run from such a lowly creature! I...I won't be the one who dies."_

Frieza held both of his hands over his head, and began pouring as much ki as he possibly could into his final resort: a small, chaotic sphere of crackling red ki, with orange ki forming its center. With a mad, gleeful look on his features, he looked down towards the ground as he continued to charge the attack.

"Tell me, Super Saiyan!" he cried out, pained by the wound in his chest. " **I** can survive...in the vacuum of space! How...about  **you**?!"

As luck would have it, Goku began to sense the tyrant's attempt to gather ki from where he had left him, and turned around just in time to see that the tyrant had charged as much ki into it as he was willing to. Goku's eyes widened, and he flew as fast as he could to try and stop the tyrant, charging a ki blast in his right hand in an attempt to finish him off quickly.

"N-NO!" Goku cried out, but just as he was about to fire the ki blast, Frieza sent the ball flying into the ground and towards the planet's core. With a muffled boom, the two were buffeted backwards by a massive shockwave, followed only an instant later by a massive flash of light.

* * *

Elsewhere, now out of Namek's orbit, the Capsule ship's computer flew carefully around the nearby area, guided only by what Piccolo's senses could gleam about the location of Dende. After what felt like an eternity of tiptoeing around minor space debris, a small thump could be heard just around where the airlock was located. With a start, Piccolo moved to open up the outer hatch, and sure enough, he could sense what he recognized as Dende's ki signature making its way onto the ship. Piccolo closed the seal and opened up the inner hatch, allowing Dende to collapse into the Capsule ship, gasping heavily. Piccolo rushed to his side, carefully stepping past Gohan's body and making his way to the end of the ship. He arrived to find Dende lying on his back, still breathing heavily and apparently covered in ice crystals. A quick kiai from Piccolo shattered the crystals, allowing Dende to begin to recover.

"That was...horrifying..." Dende muttered breathlessly, still only starting to breathe normally. Piccolo nodded.

"I can imagine. But, not to worry-you'll be safe here." He held out a hand, which Dende graciously accepted, and the two made their way back to the control room.

"I couldn't quite sense much after I was thrown into space, other than Goku's ki reaching enormous heights. Although...I sensed Gohan's ki die down. Is he...?"

Piccolo grimaced. "Yes. He was killed by Frieza along with Yamcha and Krillin. I was tasked by Goku to keep Gohan's body here so that he can return to it when he is eventually revived with the Dragon Balls. Hopefully that won't take too-" Suddenly, the Namekians took pause, as they both sensed the tiniest fraction of an enormous source of power not too far from where they both stood. Recognizing it immediately, Piccolo and Dende rushed to where Gohan's body had been left, just in time to see the young boy slowly opening his eyes.

"What the...? What happened? Why am I-?" The boy's questions were cut short as Piccolo scooped up the child and held him close to his chest, without even thinking. After a couple seconds of this, Gohan found the time to speak up. "Um...Mr. Piccolo? You're...kinda crushing me." Piccolo's cheeks shifted to a darker shade of green, and he quickly set the child down.

"Ah, yes, of course. I was simply...uh..." Gohan just smiled.

"I missed you too," he said, and the slightest hint of a genuine smile could be seen on his mentor's face. However, suddenly, Gohan's attention was diverted towards the direction of the planet, where he was able to sense both Goku and Frieza's ki with astonishing clarity. "Whoa! Is  **that** -?!"

"Indeed," Piccolo remarked.

"Oh, man, Daddy's ki is insane! Frieza's at only a fraction of his strength!"

"So it would appear," Piccolo replied. "I imagine you have a much better picture of the situation than I do."

"Hm..." Gohan thought aloud before something made him stop. From what he could tell, Goku appeared to be moving away from Frieza unopposed, heading towards the upper atmosphere. " _Wait...why is he leaving?"_ Before he had much time to ponder that, though, he noticed something else: a slight shift in Frieza's ki signature, almost imperceptible. Although it increased slightly in power, it primarily felt...occupied. Like it was concentrating all of its energy into a single attack of devastating potency. At first, Gohan assumed it was a last ditch attack against Goku, and yet for some reason, he didn't think it was a normal attack, either. He began to think it over.

" _Okay...so my enemy is significantly stronger than me...and any techniques I may have which can hurt people stronger than me either wouldn't work or still aren't strong enough. Let's also assume that I don't care about anything alive on the planet I'm on, because I'm the bad guy, and at this point, all I care about is beating my enemy. In that case, given my level of power, and that my enemy appears to be distracted, the soundest method of ensuring his defeat is...oh_ crap _!"_

"Ship, get us further away!" Gohan cried out. A harsh noise came from the computer in response.

"Voice command not recognized." By this point, Piccolo noticed.

"Gohan, I don't understand. Why must we-Gohan!" Gohan rushed towards the control console, glancing towards one of the many windows along the side of the ship and finding the planet Namek, still appearing to be intact and still appearing fairly large, given their moderate distance from it.

"We have to move, quickly! Frieza's going to-!"

No sooner had he tried to finish his sentence when the planet outside their windows suddenly exploded in a gigantic plume of yellow light stretching for hundreds of miles in two directions. Before any of them could respond, a massive shockwave hit the ship, and for a moment, everything faded to black.

* * *

Alrighty! We are now done with the penultimate chapter of the Frieza Saga!

Honestly, although I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've ever written, it was not easy to get to this point. I took forever to start and put it together piece by piece, working on it right up until the last day before publishing and going through a lot of different conceptual scenes before settling on all of this. I'm hopeful that you guys will enjoy it nonetheless.

There are some things I am going to want to talk about at the end of this saga, but those can wait a couple weeks. In the meantime, responses!

ashlovesdbz says:

"omg omg omg i was NOT expecting that. my poor gohan ;(. And Yamcha and Krillin I guess lol. I really hope they aren't ALL actually dead but if they were it'd make for a great plot twist! Anyways keep up the great work!"

Thank you, and yep, I acknowledge that may have been one of my more soulless alterations in this fic. =) Don't worry, though, Yamcha and Gohan are breathing now, and besides that, Piccolo's alive! Anyway, glad you're enjoying this, and I hope you stick around for the finale!

(Also, readers, if you like fluffy DBZ fics, look them up on Fanfiction. They've got potential =) )

Ushindeshi says: "Awesome chapter." Why, thank you!

RKF22 says: "Excellent work!" Thanks!

GhostKing666 says:

"Jeice lived in the Brench system(it's a two star system with at least two inhabitable planets considering that Jeice and Salza's backstories have them live on two different planets from the same star system, possibly more depending on how much terraforming work their race has done) long enough for Jeice to play as a pitcher for Galactic Little League(his baseball experience was where he developed his Crusher Ball apparently, he's basically the Ginyu's Yamcha). He basically spent his whole childhood and probably teenage years there, possibly more considering how old he is(as shown in the Broly movie, all the Ginyu's were around and working as part of the Ginyu force since before Vegeta was born or even before King Cold handed the empire over to Frieza). X10's Earth's gravity would do as little for him as it would for Nappa or anyone other Saiyan born and raised on planet Vegeta. Hell it probably wouldn't even do much for Recoome either, sure it's better then regular gravity but he wouldn't have anymore problems on Zoon then he did on planet Vegeta unless he loaded himself down with huge weights."

I...was not aware of the Galactic Little League part of Jeice's backstory. ...I mean, it's Toriyama, so I guess it makes sense.

Also, yeah, that's all fair, but at the very least, he would be training, and he'd have Recoome as a sparring partner. And speaking of Recoome, unless he's regularly stationed on planets with ten times Earth gravity, he probably still wouldn't be as used to it as the likes of Jeice or Goku. I think it would still give him a little trouble, which in turn would give Jeice a tougher sparring partner. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, Idk how level I'll keep their respective power levels. Anywho, I'll keep all of this in mind, but at this point, it'll be a while before we go back to them.

Cerric says:

"A nice, meaty chapter, I see! Alright: my thoughts as I read:

I really liked Piccolo's simple observation that Frieza was stronger than Goku. The way you wrote it into the scene felt very right."

Yeah, Piccolo's always struck me as a very blunt and frank character in most situations. He wouldn't mince words here.

"Yamcha saying Lord and Goku saying God makes me wonder about the deities other than Kami (I guess?) floating around on Earth."

Tbh, I'd always found it a little weird in fics where the characters say "Kami" in place of "God," because I was never quite sure if Kami's existence was commonly acknowledged or spoken of by the people of Earth. In the absence of that, I decided to stick with what I figured were simple expressions referring to the existence of some higher power out there somewhere.

"You wrote Frieza very well in this chapter. I definitely think your characterization of him in his final form is your best yet. I also love how you described him as the Spirit Ball pressed down on him with a sense of doom."

Thank you! And yeah, I really wanted to sell the dread Frieza feels in that moment, and also kinda replicate how a reader would feel seeing something like that blind. I mean, anyone going off canon knows he isn't dead, but this is a fic, so for all you know, he might actually be dead. Yeah, most fans would probably still bet even money that he isn't, but I work with what I'm given.

"I really like the characterization/looking outward you added in between everybody after the spirit bomb. The use of the spaceship for Frieza's reappearance was also a nice touch- added a distinct scene of your own to the story."

Yeah, it seemed odd for the characters to just kinda leave space alone after Frieza's supposed death on Namek. Like, they have to know somebody will come around to replace him, you know?

"Same for the parallelism you had going on between Frieza's monologue and Goku's thoughts. Polarizes them in a really cool, thematic, evil-and-righteousness kind of way.

I like the touches you added to the transformation sequence, too.

Overall, this was a really good chapter, dang! Every sentence Frieza uttered felt totally his own. Keep 'em coming."

Once again, thanks! Means a lot coming from you. Hope you enjoy the finale as well!

(*cough* Also check out Strength of Many guys *cough*)

So, with those taken care of, time for power levels!

Piccolo(severely weakened): 20,000

Frieza(100%): 100,000,000

Frieza(enraged): 110,000,000

Goku(Super Saiyan): 215,000,000 at max, but for his maximum right now, given his injuries, I'd say a little over 190,000,000 is more than fair, and a bit over for the Kamehameha he does here.

Frieza(100%, severely injured): 80,000,000, and falling fast

Chiaotzu(post-training): 1,000

Roshi(in-training): 1,500

Tien(recovering): 2,200, 2,750 at max power

With all that said, thank you all for reading, have yourselves a fantastic day, and take care! See you for the finale!


End file.
